EC Nutrition

The study was carried out to determine the coping strategies employed by female headed households with food insecurity in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. The objective of this study was to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, estimate the average expenditure on certain food products, identify the coping strategies implemented by women in the study area, and identify the main constraints hindering their access to food security. A sample of 50 female respondents was randomly selected using a set of well-structured questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The results from the study revealed that majority (34.0%) of the female respondent were between the ages of 41-50 years, (48.0%) were married. Most (48.0%) of the female respondents were traders while the 36% of the respondents were educated by completed at secondary school, 50.0% of the respondents have an average household size of 6 persons, with most (36%) earning between N 50,000 - N 100,000. Reduction in food waste (94%), providing casual labour to get money to buy food (86%), eating food that are less preferred (84%), reduction in the quantity and quality of food (78%) and engaging in other jobs just to increase income (78%) are some of the coping strategies of food security adopted by the respondents. The study revealed that monthly income (coefficient -0.286) significantly influences the coping strategies of the female headed households while low income/remuneration (mean = 2.16), lack of employment (mean = 2.24), insufficiency of food (mean = 2.12) were the major constraints affecting them in achieving food security. Therefore, the study concluded by making recommendation to mitigate the stated constraints which are; providing targeted micro finance initiatives for women to help them generate additional incomee, offer vocational training programs that focus on agricultural skills, agribusiness, and food processing, aadvocate for policies that promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the agricultural sector.

 Keywords: Food Insecurity; Coping Strategies; Female Headed Households

1. Doss C. “If Women Hold up Half the Sky, How Much of the World’s Food do they Produce?” Background paper prepared for the State of Food and Agriculture (2010).
2. World Bank, FAO & IFAD. “Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook”. The World Bank, Washington D.C (2009).
3. Adebo GM and Falowo OO. “Rural household food security and coping strategies in South West, Nigeria. A gender differentials perspective”. Food Science and Quality Management 41 (2015): 44-49.
4. Ume SI., et al. “Resource use and technical efficiency of okra production among feale headed household: implication for poverty alleviation in rural areas of South East, Nigeria”. International Journal of Advanced Research and Development2 (2018): 1028-1040.
5. United Nations. “The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015”. United Nations Publications (2015).
6. “The State of Food Insecurity in the World”. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (2013).
7. Sen A. “Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation”. Oxford University Press (1981).
8. Arene CJ and Anyaeji RC. “Determinants of food security among households in Nsukka Metropolis of Enugu State, Nigeria”. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences1 (2010): 9-16.
9. Omonona BT and Agoi GA. “An analysis of food security situation among Nigerian urban households: Evidence from Lagos State, Nigeria”. Journal of Central European Agriculture3 (2007): 397-406.
10. Maxwell D and Caldwell R. “The Coping Strategies Index: Field Methods Manual”. CARE International (2008).
11. Obayelu AE. “Households’ food security status and coping strategies in urban and rural areas of Oyo State, Nigeria”. Food and Nutrition Sciences5 (2012): 763-770.
12. FAO/GSO/MoP. “National Gender Profile of Agricultural Households, 2010”. Report based on the 2008 Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome and General Statistics Office and Ministry of Planning, Phnom Penh. FAO/MAF (2010).