A PREVALENCE AND CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA: AN APPLICATION OF HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY ACCESS SCALE (HFIAS)

Abstract

Food insecurity is reported to be alarming in Nigeria and it is even most pronounced in Northeastern Nigeria, a region that is still recovering from Boko Haram devastation. This paper investigated and evaluated the prevalence and causes of food insecurity among households in Gombe metropolis, Gombe State, Northeastern Nigeria. Primary data was generated by administering 400 copies of questionnaire to randomly selected households but only 390 copies were returned filled and valid. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (specifically, frequency and percentages) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was constructed to determine the severity of food insecurity. The paper found that about 83.59% of the households were food insecure. Among the food insecure households, 10.51% were mildly food insecure, 23.08% were moderately food insecure and 50% were severely food insecure. The findings also revealed that high food prices, family size and poverty were the major causes of food insecurity in the study area. Therefore, it was recommended that government should provide food aid and subsidized food stuffs so that people would have access to them at affordable prices. Food security policies should be tailored to target different categories of food insecure
households based on severity of the insecurity