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Demographic considerations and food security in Nigeria

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  • Nkechi S. Owoo

    (University of Ghana)

Abstract

Close to 14 million people in Nigeria, including children, are malnourished. I hypothesize that demographic considerations play an important role in food insecurity within Nigerian households. Using data from three waves of the World Bank’s Living Standard Measurement Survey for Nigeria, I illustrate spatial patterns of food security in the country. Using fixed effects regressions, I also show that, at the household level, larger households have worse food security outcomes and are more likely to report being food insecure. Children from large households also suffer worse malnutrition outcomes. This relationship is significant in urban Nigeria as well, with implications for sustainable urban planning and family planning to address unmet need for contraceptives.

Suggested Citation

  • Nkechi S. Owoo, 2021. "Demographic considerations and food security in Nigeria," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 23(1), pages 128-167, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jsecdv:v:23:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s40847-020-00116-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s40847-020-00116-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Nazir Muhammad Abdullahi & Xuexi Huo & Qiangqiang Zhang & Aminah Bolanle Azeez, 2021. "Determinants and Potential of Agri-Food Trade Using the Stochastic Frontier Gravity Model: Empirical Evidence From Nigeria," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food security; Child malnutrition; Spatial trends; Fertility; Nigeria;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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