Food insecurity remains a major challenge worldwide, especially among the rural areas of developing nation. Women and children are most vulnerable to this phenomenon. However, while many studies have assessed farming households’ food security status in general, there is dearth of information on vegetable farmers’, who are mostly women, food security status in particular. This study, therefore, investigated the food security status of vegetable farming households, its drivers and coping strategies in Kwara State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, food insecurity index and logistic regression were used to analysed data collected from 180 respondents. The findings showed that food insecurity remains a major challenge in rural areas as only 45.55% were food secure. The food secure group surpassed the food security line by 17%. Food insecure group fell below the food security line by 36% with a daily average calorie intake of 1581.35 kcal. Annual income (p< 0.1), cooperative membership (p< 0.1), vegetable production (p< 0.05) and access to credit (p< 0.05) were the significant factors enhancing their food security status, while household size (p< 0.01) negatively influenced it. The widely used food insecurity coping mechanisms by the households were eating less expensive food, eating wild fruits, reducing rational consumption, allowing children to eat first, borrowing money to buy food, buying food on credit and skipping meal within a day. The study recommends encouragement of vegetable production through provision of credit facilities to the farmers as this would enhance their food security status.

PurposeThe problem of inaccessibility of finance for farm investment is a common phenomenon among farmers, especially the rural dwellers. Thus, there is a need to know how the accessibility of informal finance can be increased to increase farm investment. Therefore, this study evaluates farmers’ access to informal finance and its contribution to farm investment among rural farmers in Northcentral Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 160 farmers. Primary data collected were analysed with descriptive statistics and the Heckman selection model.FindingsThe study revealed that cooperative society is the major informal means of loan acquisition used by the farmers followed by Rotational Savings and Credit Associations (RoSCAs). Informal loans contributed to agricultural investment through the various operational activities involved in production. Factors influencing farmers’ access to informal loans were the age, farm size and income of the farmers. Interest charged, farmers' age, farming experience, household size, education and loan duration were the drivers of the amount borrowed from the informal financing sector.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study call for policies that will sustain informal financial institutions in developing economies, like Nigeria. Thus, the government through its regulatory agencies should assist informal finance providers with the necessary resources to achieve more goals. This is because the informal credit lenders help in bridging financial gaps created by formal financial institutions, such as commercial banks.Originality/valueUnlike the previous research studies, this study investigated the driving factors of the amount borrowed from informal finance and its use in farm investment.

The objective of this study is to examine agripreneurship among youths. Specifically, the study investigates the motivating factors for agripreneurship development among youths, examine the profitability of rabbit production among youth agripreneurs and identified the constraints faced in rabbit production. Research Design & Methods: One hundred and twenty youth agripreneurs involved in rabbit production were selected using the snowball sampling technique and data were collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, cost and return analysis (gross margin analysis, net profit, operating ratio and return to capital invested) and Likert rating scale were means of analysing the data. Findings:The study revealed that the majority of the youth agripreneurs were males (76.7%), single (85.8%) and obtained their capital from personal savings (87.5%). The important factors motivating agripreneurship development among youth were a quest to acquire personal wealth, to boost income, to achieve what one wants to have in life, to be financially independent, to be self-employed, for personal satisfaction and growth, for high self-esteem, desire to do a new thing and to contribute to their household income and needs. Furthermore, rabbit production among the youth agripreneur was profitable with a net profit of 339,193.56 NGN (826.21 USD), an operating ratio of 23% and a return on capital invested of 3.41. The major constraints faced by the youth agripreneur in rabbit production were lack of government support, poor extension contacts, inadequate credit facilities and diseases outbreak.Implications & Recommendations: This study calls for governments and Non-Governmental Organizations to support and encourage youths to participate more in agripreneurship through the provision of credits and production inputs for profit maximization and cheap protein availability. Contribution & Value Added:This study contributes to entrepreneurship literature by focusing on agripreneurship by youth in a view to enhance more participation in agripreneurship. Article type:research article

The problem of food insecurity remains a challenge in developing countries, especially in rural areas. Despite the rising level of food insecurity, COVID-19 set in and was said to pose a threat to food security globally if adequate measures are not quickly put in place. This study, therefore, described the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; examined the extent to which the rural households are food secure or otherwise during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine the drivers of food security status among rural households in South-East Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 200 households with the use of structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, food security index and logistics regression. Results of the findings revealed that the majority of the household heads were male (92%), married (93.5%), educated (87.5%) and had an average age of 54 years. They had an average household size of 7 persons, an average farming experience of 22 years, an average monthly income of N14, 305.5 and majority (83%) do not belong to a cooperative society. Majority (69.5%) of the households were food insecure, while only (30.5%) were food secure. The food-secure households had an average household size of 5 persons, while the food insecure households had 9 persons in their households. The headcount ratio of food secure households was 0.30, while it was 0.70 for food-insecure households. This shows that at least two out of three persons were food insecure in the study area. The surplus/shortfall index indicates that the food secure households exceeded the calorie requirement by 12%, while the food insecure fell short of the recommended calorie intake by 39%. Square food insecure gap or square shortfall index which indicate the severity of food insecurity among the food insecure household was 0.0056. The average calorie available (adult equivalent per day) for food secure households was 2523.5kcal, while average calorie available (AE/day) for food-insecure households was 1389.05kcal. The identified positive drivers of food security were marital status, educational level, cooperative members and annual income of the household heads. While, age of household head, household size and COVID-19 negatively influenced food security status. The study recommends, among others, putting in place immediate policy measures to reduce the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on rural household’s food security through the provision of enough palliatives which should be monitored so that it gets to the targeted population. Effective household size management and enlightenment programs on modern family planning techniques should be encouraged in rural areas. Rural households should also be educated on the nutritional implication of the various food items such as egg, milk, soybean and fish, especially for children to increase their protein intake and boost their immune system against COVID-19.

PurposeAfter a long observation of the high rate of rice importation and low productivity in Côte d’Ivoire, the certified rice seed was introduced and encouraged to be used by the local farmers. This study evaluates the profitability of rice production and the impact of certified seed usage on the yield and income of farmers in Côte d’Ivoire.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 265 rice farmers. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the challenges faced in using certified seeds. Profitability analysis was used to examine the profitability of rice production. To eliminate bias due to the counterfactuals, the endogenous switching regression was employed to investigate the impact of the certified seeds on income and yield.FindingsThe difficulties faced by the rice farmers in the procurement of certified seeds were the unavailability of seeds, the high cost of seeds and poor credit access. Furthermore, rice farmers using certified seeds get a higher net income (USD 263.74/ha) than those using farmers' seeds (USD 212.31/ha). The average treatment on the treated was 1.61 for the yield and 574.75 for the income. The average treatment on the untreated was 1.20 for the yield and 422.59 for the income. These indicate a higher yield and income among adopters of certified rice seed.Research limitations/implicationsCertified rice seed usage is profitable and enhances the output and income of rice farmers. The study advocates the creation of a stronger relationship between the farmers and the extension agents to encourage the use of certified seeds and increase the profit of the farmers.Originality/valueThere is scant information on the profitability of certified rice seed usage and how it affect yield and income. Therefore, this study serves as empirical evidence for policymakers to develop strategies that are required to enhance certified seed usage, boost rice productivity and achieve food security.