Contributions of the National Programme on Food Security NPFS on Household Food Security in Enugu State

Abstract

In Nigeria, two-third of the population lives in food poverty, and poor access to the means of supporting rural development being among the causative factors. Consequently, food security which goes with food self-sufficiency and sustainability is still elusive. Agriculture remains a key component of the Nigeria economy. The Government has made very frantic efforts to ensure food security by introducing a number of programmes including the National Programme on Food Security however, the extent to which it has moved in the direction of ensuring food security is unknown. This study therefore sought to determine the contributions of the National Programme on Food Security on household food security in Enugu State. A hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. A well-structured questionnaire was validated and used to collect relevant information from 450 respondents who were randomly selected from three Local Government Areas which were hitherto used as sites for the National Food Security Programme in Enugu State. Findings indicated that the National programme has helped farmers to improve in some areas by providing loans, seedlings, machines, and these led to an increase in household food security. Recommendations were made at strengthening efforts on food security.