Dissertation Abstracts
Socio-demographic Stratification and Household Food Security in Southern Cross River State - Nigeria
Author: Charles Bassey, carlobasi@yahoo.com
Department: Sociology
University: University of Calabar, Nigeria
Supervisor: Professor Charles Okokon
Year of completion: 2012
Language of dissertation: English
Areas of Research: Agriculture and Food , Women in Society , Economy and Society
Abstract
This study was designed to determine the relationship between socio-demographic stratification and household food security using four local government areas in Southern Cross River State of Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, four research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study based on identified independent variables, namely, household headship (male/female), location of household (rural/urban), combined effects of gender, age, income and marital status, and coping strategies respectively. To enhance effective data collection for testing each of the formulated hypotheses, a 49-item pre-coded questionnaire was developed, validated and used on 400 respondents randomly selected from the study area. Empirical data collected were analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and fisher least significance difference (FLSD) multiple comparison analysis procedure respectively. From the analyses it was found that demographic variables of gender, educational status, age and income contribution to household budget significantly impact on household food security condition; and that rural and urban households significantly adopt coping strategies such as owning of farms, adjustment in food types and feeding modes and borrowing to achieve food security. Based on the findings it was recommended that an integrated poverty reduction blueprint should be evolved, which integrates ten components along as means of preventing the possibility of one component becoming a depressant to others.