Environmental and Socio Economic Determinant of Food Security among Rural Households in Oyo State

Achieving food security is plausible in an wholesome and appealing environment with feasible agricultural policy. Food security thrives in a setting where all the stakeholders are fortified and armed with promising, affirmative and propitious strategies. Hunger is a threat that can result to economic setback of a populace and make the national progress indefinable. This study explores environmental and socio-economic portent allied with food security among the rural households in Oyo State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to elicit information from 120 respondents through a pre-tested structured questionnaires. Analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and logit regression model. Socio economic analysis reveals that majority of the respondents (72.5 percent) were male while 27.5 percent were female. The log likelihood value was -118.96 with Chi-square of 758.21 significance (Pless than0.01). This shows that the model was a good fit. Analysis of the factor influencing food security revealed that four explanatory variables were significant. These are household size, marital status, income and environmental threat. Household size was negatively significant (Pless than0.05). This connotes that farmers with larger household members are less likelihood to be food secured. Marital status was positively significant (Pless than0.01). This means that married households are more likelihood to be more food, secured than the unmarried farming household. Income was positively significant (Pless than0.1). This indicates that farmers with higher income are more likelihood to be more food secured than those with lower income. Environmental threats is negatively significant (Pless than0.01). It implies that farmers experiencing hazard and threats resulting to crop wreckage and loss are more likely to be food unsecured. The study concludes that environmental hazard juxtaposed with socio-economic variable limit and impose menace to food security in the study area. The research recommends that planting machinery should be devised by the farmers to improve production and storage of crops. This will reduce environmental threat-agent such as reptiles, rodents and birds. Early marriage should be encouraged among the younger farmers. Further investment in farming should be invigorated and strengthened.