A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FOOD SECURITY COPING STRATEGIES OF WOMEN FARMERS’

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A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FOOD SECURITY COPING STRATEGIES OF WOMEN FARMERS’ (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

The dominant green in the Nigerian flag depicts fertility and strong agrarian potentials. Ironically, the nation seems incapable of tapping the immense opportunity bestowed upon her by nature. The agricultural sector is the most crucial sector of any nation’s economy. It is the supplier of food and employment for the population, raw materials for the industries and exports that can earn foreign exchange. In Nigeria, the agricultural sector employs over 70% of the populace and is still dominated by small-scale farmers. Even as at today, this group of farmers controls over 90% of the agricultural land in the country (FMWRRD, 2008; Unamma, 2009)and accounts for about 90% of the agricultural output of the nation. Agriculture presently contributes   40% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) against 13 %. It also employs about two-third of the nation’s total labor force. More so, agriculture is the livelihood for nearly three-quarter of Nigeria poor people in the rural communities (Abdullahi, 2007).

The sustainable production of food is the first pillar of food security. Millions of rural women work as farmers, farm workers and natural resources manager (Onyemobi, 2005). In doing so, they contribute to national agricultural output, maintenance of the environment and household food security (Brown et al, 2001).Therefore; women play a significant role in agriculture the world over. About 70%of the agricultural workers, 80% of the food producers and 10 percent of those who process basic food stuff are women and they also undertake 60-90% of the rural marketing, thus making up more than two-third of the work force in agricultural production (FAO, 1985).

Food is defined as any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells in an attempt or effort to produce energy, maintain life and/or stimulate growth. The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right (ICESCR), recognizing the “right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food” as well as “fundamental rights to be free from hunger”.

Food security in very plain term means “access by all people at all times to sufficient food and nutrition for a healthy and productive life”. Food security as a concept is “the availability of food in the right quality and quantity for consumption at the appropriate time” (Ewebiyi, 2011).FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) defines food security as “access for all human beings, at all times to food that enables them to live a healthy active life. In other words, it is “access by all people at all times to sufficient food for an active and healthy life and includes availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food and an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways”(Sarah, 2009). It could also be defined as “all people at all times having physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”(United States Department of Agriculture, 2008). Achieving food security involves ensuring that sufficient quantities of food are available, that supplies are stable and that people needing food can have access to it at the appropriate time.

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A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FOOD SECURITY COPING STRATEGIES OF WOMEN FARMERS’ (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)

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