Covid-19 Lockdown: Implication on Commodity Food Price and Household Food Security in Kwara State, Nigeria

Subject Areas : Extension and Economic

Oluwaremilekun Adebisi ¹ , Luke Oloruntoba Adebisi ² , Femi Ibrahim ³ , Amos Omofaiye ⁴ , Asuquo Jonathan ⁵

1 - Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria
2 - Agricultural Development Management Department, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), PMB 1343, Ilorin, Kwara State
3 - Agricultural Development Management Department, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), PMB 1343, Ilorin, Kwara State
4 - Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria
5 - Department of Agricultural Education, FCT College of Education, Zuba-Abuja

Received: 2021-04-22 Accepted : 2021-07-26 Published : 2021-09-01

Keywords: Income, food, Households, Correlation,

Abstract :

In the face of the unprecedented threat the world is faced with, caused by covid-19 pandemic which has affected health and disrupted the functioning of food system resulting in inadequate nutrition of many people around the world. The study examined the movement in the price of staple food commodities as a result of Covid-19 and its impact on food security of households in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary data was used for the study and a convenient sampling technique was adopted in the selection of the respondents. A structured questionnaire was used for the purpose of extracting needed information from households selected for the study. The data were analyzed using with Descriptive Statistics, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Correlation Analysis. The result showed that there was increase in price in all the major staple foods consumed during covid-19. Only 23% of the households were found to be food secure while 51% and 26% of all the households surveyed were found to be moderately and severely food insecure respectively. The effect of the increase in the price of staple commodity food on households food security was statistically significant (r = -0.375, p < 0.000) showing that movement in the prices of staple food has negative effect on food security of people. It is therefore recommended that there should be regulation of commodity food prices as this will enable medium and low income households to buy.

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