Strategies for enhancing food security and poverty status among women food entrepreneurs in Ido Local Government of Oyo State, Nigeria

Despite global advancements, food insecurity and poverty persist as critical issues, particularly among rural women engaged in food vending. Thus, this study explores the socio-economic factors affecting food security and poverty among women food vendors in Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. Utilizing primary data collected through a detailed questionnaire from 120 respondents, this research employs descriptive statistics, the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) index, household food security index, and logistic regression models to analyze the data. The findings indicate that 67.4% of the vendors experience varying degrees of poverty, with the majority struggling to meet basic and extended socioeconomic needs. In terms of food security, 64.8% of vendors were classified as food secure, demonstrating a capacity to meet their dietary needs effectively. Key determinants influencing both food security and poverty status included household size, income, access to credit, and cooperative membership, among others. Moreover, the study revealed that women employ multiple strategies to cope with poverty and food shortages, including diversifying income sources and engaging in both farming and non-farming activities. Surprisingly, very few utilized credit facilities or government support, and none accessed technical assistance or training. This research underscores the need for targeted interventions to support these women, suggesting enhanced access to credit, nutritional education, and cooperative developments to improve their poverty status and food security. By addressing these issues, the study contributes to the broader goal of sustainable development in the region, providing a foundation for policy recommendations aimed at improving the livelihoods of women food vendors in rural Nigeria.


INTRODUCTION
Food security is the condition in which every person continuously has access to enough safe, nourishing food to meet their nutritional needs for a healthy life at all times, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.Despite its recognition as a fundamental human right, countless individuals still face hunger and malnutrition worldwide, driven by factors like poverty, conflict, and the impacts of climate change.There has been a rising global consciousness about food insecurity recently, prompting numerous researchers to explore potential solutions.Several studies, including Barrett et al., (2009), have highlighted the importance of improved market access in boosting the availability of diverse food options for households, while Wiggins and Keats, (2022) noted that enhancing agricultural practices among smallholder farmers is crucial for decreasing community undernutrition.
Research on the role of local government policies in shaping public attitudes toward food security initiatives is scant.Such policies are pivotal as they influence agricultural productivity and development planning, which in turn affect a household's ability to procure sufficient nutritious food.Poverty encompasses issues such as inadequate finances, malnutrition, and low social status, especially in rural areas.The 1990s saw a significant increase in poverty rates among women, rising by 50%, compared to a 30% increase for men, highlighting gender-specific economic disparities.Women's earnings from agriculture and related sectors are vital for community and family welfare but are often limited by cultural, economic, and social barriers.
In Nigeria, many rural female food vendors, who predominantly live in poverty due to harsh rural conditions, are left to fend for themselves as men migrate to urban areas.These women face challenges such as overwork, low productivity, and restricted access to essential resources like loans, land, and agricultural training.Effective and sustainable programs targeting women are essential for improving their living standards through better agricultural productivity and access to information.However, past initiatives have often failed to properly engage their target demographic or suffer from inadequate coordination among supporting institutions.The National Special Plan for Food Security (NSPFS) was designed to enhance food security and reduce poverty for both genders by supporting increased agricultural output and resource management.This program's outcomes need continuous evaluation to refine strategies aimed at improving living conditions.This study investigates the food security and poverty levels among women food vendors in Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria.It explores socio-economic factors, poverty rates, food security conditions, and the strategies employed to alleviate poverty among these women.Despite various efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations, little is known about the specific hardships faced by these women, which complicates the development of targeted interventions.The research aims to uncover the unique challenges faced by women's food vendors in this region and devise effective solutions to enhance their food security and economic stability.Addressing the food security and poverty challenges in developing regions like Nigeria, where women's food vendors are exceptionally vulnerable, is critical for sustainable development.This study's results will be pivotal in informing evidencebased strategies to improve the welfare of these women, ultimately fostering a more prosperous and healthy society.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The research took place in Oyo State's Ido Local Government Area, which is situated in the southwest of the country.This area, one of 33 local government districts in the state, encompasses about 986 square kilometers and is home to approximately 200,000 residents as per the 2006 census.The district's administrative center is in the town of Ido, and it includes other communities such as Eruwa, Igbojaye, and Omi-Adio.Geographically, the area is positioned at approximately 7.5252°N latitude and 3.9217°E longitude.
Predominantly agrarian, the local economy thrives on agriculture, with residents primarily engaged in growing yams, cassava, maize, and various vegetables.Also, women's food vendors were interviewed and a comprehensive questionnaire was used to gather primary data for this study.The questionnaire gathered detailed socio-economic data from participants, including age, gender, marital and farming status, association memberships, educational backgrounds, farm sizes, and their access to financial resources.The sampling method employed was a multi-stage technique.
Initially, the Ido Local Government Area was intentionally chosen for its significant agricultural output.Subsequently, six communities known for their high concentration of food vendors were selected.From these, 20 women food vendors in each community were chosen, culminating in a total of 120 participants.Data were analyzed using several statistical tools, including Descriptive statistics, the Household food security index, the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) weighted poverty Index, and Logit

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Discovery Agriculture 10, e12da1565 (2024) 3 of 10 Regression models.The FGT index, specifically, helped assess the poverty levels among the food vendors by evaluating poverty incidence, gap, and severity, with different weights assigned to the extent a household or individual falls beneath the poverty line.The index is calculated using the formula provided below (Foster et al., 1984): Here, the poverty line (L), poor number (u), per capita expenditure (I), and poverty index (α): it could be 0, 1, and 2 values.
L is the summation of household income divided by sample size.
If α = 0, the index becomes Headcount Ratio or Poverty Incidence (PIo = Headcount/sample size).It can be seen as the percentage of the population living in poverty.The number of households with per capita incomes below the poverty line is ascertained using it.
If α = 1, the Poverty Gap or Dept Index.It measures the entire amount of income that households experience falling short of the poverty line (L).It calculates the discrepancy between the actual income and the minimum income necessary to avoid poverty.The percentage of the poverty line that the typical disadvantaged household must cross to meet the threshold is known as the "poverty depth".A lower value for the depth of poverty indicates a narrower gap between the two, indicating a lower level of poverty at any given time (Olutumise and Ajibefun, 2019).

Food Security Index
It was estimated given this formula by (Omonona and Agoi, 2007;Ajayi and Olutumise, 2018).The two-thirds approach of per capita food expenditure for households was used for the food security benchmark.It is food secure household if the value is greater than 2/3 of the index, and food insecure when it is lesser.

Logit Regression Model
The logit regression model was utilized to examine the factors influencing the food security and poverty status of female food vendors.
The binary logistic regression approach has been widely used in various studies across agriculture, that require investigating and forecasting outcomes that are dichotomous.

Demographic Characteristics of Food Vendors
The data presented reveals that 17.5% of the surveyed food vendors were under 30 years old, while a majority of 54.17% fell within the 31 to 40 age range (Table 1).A smaller portion, 5.83%, were aged between 41 and 50, and 22.5% were over 50.The average age was calculated at 39.6 years.This age distribution suggests that many vendors are in their prime working years, which the Food and Agriculture Organization Ajayi and Olutumise, (2018) identifies as between 30 and 50 years, potentially enhancing productivity.
Regarding marital status, 29.2% of vendors were single, 61.7% were married, and 9.2% were divorced.The prevalence of married vendors suggests a possible availability of familial labour, which is crucial in food vending operations.Marital status is also linked to household size, with singles possibly more reliant on hired help.
According ).The analysis of household sizes revealed that 70% of vendors had households of 1 to 5 people, 27.5% had households of 6 to 10, and a small group of 2.5% had more than 10 people in their households.
The average household consisted of 4 individuals, indicating a moderate size that could provide additional family labour for food vending.The result is consistent with the findings of (Badamosi et al., 2023).Experience levels among the vendors showed that the vast majority, 81.67%, had 5 years of experience or less, while 18.33% had been in the industry between 6 and 10 years.This suggests that most vendors are relatively new to the market, which could reflect on their selling proficiency.Lastly, access to credit was widespread, with 84.17% of vendors having the ability to obtain financial support, while only 15.83% lacked such access.This widespread availability of credit is likely a significant factor enabling vendors to sustain and expand their operations, thereby potentially improving food production and reducing poverty in the area.

Women Food Vendors' Food Security Status
This section details the food security status of women's food vendors in the designated study area.According to the data shown in Table 3, the total food expenditure for these vendors amounted to ₦3,241,526.This figure was calculated by dividing the total household food expenditure by the household size, resulting in the total per capita food expenditure.The average per capita food expenditure came to ₦27,012.7,derived by dividing the total per capita expenditure by the number of participants (n=120).
Moreover, the food security index was determined as 1.8 by dividing the per capita food spending by two-thirds of the average per capita food expenditure, which was determined to be ₦18,008 by multiplying the per capita food expenditure by two-thirds.
Approximately 35.2% of the vendors were categorized as food insecure, whereas a significant majority of 64.8% were considered food secure.The average food security index of 1.

Determinants of Food Security among the Women Food Vendors
This section discusses the findings of a logistic regression analysis that examined the socioeconomic factors affecting food security among women food vendors in the study area.The regression coefficient was 0.8201, suggesting that the independent variables explained 82% of the variance.The remaining 18% was attributed to the error term, with the overall model significant at the 1% level.A notable finding was the negative impact of household size on food security, where an increase in household members was associated with a 0.0347% decrease in food security, significant at the 10% level.This inverse relationship likely stems from increased food demand within larger households, contributing to food insecurity.
Conversely, income positively influenced food security; a unit increase in income was linked to a 0.0524% increase in food security, demonstrating that higher income allows for greater per capita food spending, thereby enhancing food security.This relationship held significant at the 1% level.Access to credit was another significant factor but showed a negative coefficient of -0.0231, indicating that increased access to credit might raise the likelihood of food insecurity by 0.0231%, a result significant at the 1% level (Table 4).This could suggest that the conditions or uses of credit are not effectively translating into improved food security.Membership in a cooperative had a positive effect on food security, with a coefficient of 0.0081, implying that being part of a cooperative can improve food security odds by 0.0081%, a finding that was significant at the 10% level.Cooperatives likely provide support systems that enhance member welfare.
The analysis also revealed that both the amount spent on food and the frequency of meals per day positively affect food security.
Specifically, for each unit increase in food spending, food security probability improves by 0.0011%, and an increase in meal frequency per day enhances food security by 0.571%, with both coefficients significant at the 1% and 10% levels, respectively.Finally, having additional sources of income positively correlates with food security, where each unit increase in such income increases the likelihood of achieving food security by 0.0241%, a result that was significant at the 5% level.This supports the notion that supplementary income streams can buffer against food insecurity as also noted (Ajayi and Olutumise, 2018).

Determinants of Poverty Status among Women Food Vendors
This part of the analysis delves into the logistic regression results examining the socioeconomic variables influencing the poverty levels of women's food vendors in the designated area.The regression coefficient was 0.6820, indicating that the independent variablesgender, age, household size, income, credit access, cooperative membership, marital status, monthly food expenditure, and additional income sources-explained 68% of the variance in poverty status.The remaining 32% was due to the error term, with the overall findings significant at the 1% level.Age showed a negative correlation with poverty, where each additional year in a vendor's age decreased their likelihood of being classified as poor by 0.0572%, significant at the 5% level.This suggests that older vendors are less likely to be poor, potentially due to accumulated resources or stability.This is similar to the findings of (Olutumise et al., 2022).
Conversely, income displayed a positive correlation with poverty, unexpectedly indicating that an increase in income raised the chance of being categorized as poor by 0.0930% (Table 5).This paradoxical finding, significant at the 1% level, might imply that higher income levels are not adequately reflected in the living standards or are offset by other factors.Credit access had a protective effect against poverty, with each unit increase in access to credit decreasing the likelihood of poverty by 0.0166%, a result significant at the 1% level.This indicates that credit is an essential tool for financial stability among these vendors.Cooperative membership, typically beneficial, here showed an unusual positive correlation with poverty status, increasing poverty likelihood by 0.0404% per unit increase in membership, significant at the 1% level.
This outcome may suggest inefficiencies or misalignments within the cooperative structures that need further investigation.
Property ownership was another factor with an unexpected positive impact on poverty probability, where more property ownership was associated with a 0.2180% increase in the likelihood of being poor, significant at the 10% level.This could reflect liabilities or costs associated with property that outweigh its financial benefits.Finally, having an additional source of income was positively correlated with reduced poverty odds, decreasing poverty likelihood by 0.0271% with each unit increase, and was significant at the 1% level.This highlights the importance of diversified income streams for enhancing economic security among food vendors.

Table 1
Distribution by the socioeconomic variables While not impoverished, this group faces challenges in meeting some of their families' broader socioeconomic needs.The result is similar to the findings of (Olutumise and Ajibefun, 2019).

Table 2
Distribution of Poverty Status of the Respondents

Table 3
Distribution of Food Security Status of the Respondents