Organic Agriculture in Improving Food Security: Case Study of Small Scale Farmers in Selected Farm Settlements in Kogi State, Nigeria: Organic Agriculture in Improving Food Security
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This paper investigated the role of organic agriculture (OA) in improving food security of small-scale farmers in Nigeria. The study was conducted at Achoze and Ogunda Farm Settlements in Kogi State, Nigeria. Cochran Formula and a random sampling technique were employed to determine the sample size and selection of 242 respondents respectively. Close ended and structured questionnaires were used to collect the primary data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, pie-chart and Likert Scale were used to analyse the data. The result shows that majority of the farmers are males, old, poorly educated, but well experienced with small farm size and poor extension contact. The result also indicates that 58% of the farmers are unaware of OA and 66.1% are food unsecure. The result equally reveals that OA has some attributes, for example, high productivity, high income, sustainable production and reduction in pests and diseases incidence which makes it a viable alternative method for food production for improving food security. But conscious efforts such as training of extension agents and provisioning of extension logistics, conducting conferences and creating conducive policy environment should be made to promote it. It was concluded that the farmers are small scale farmers who lack extension information but they are food unsecured. OA has attributes to improve food security but the small-scale farmers are unaware of the technique, however, they could be helped through various promotion exercises to adopt the method. The study recommended that young and educated farmers should be encouraged and trained to take up OA, extension contact to be improved and logistics provided, awareness should be created among the farmers through various media and attributes of OA should be exploited by adopting the technique to improve food security of small holder farmers and Nigeria at large.
Language: English
Topic: Organic Food and Agriculture
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, No poverty
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7220520945