Household food security and the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Pivotal to human development and the sustainable development goals is food security, which remains of substantial concern globally and in Nigeria, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic despite various palliatives and intervention initiatives launched to improve household welfare. This study examined the food security status of households during the pandemic and investigated its determinants using the COVID-19 National Longitudinal Phone Survey (COVID-19 NLPS). In analysing the data, descriptive statistics, bivariate as well as multivariate analysis were employed. Findings from the descriptive statistics showed that only 12% of the households were food secure, 5% were mildly food insecure, 24.5% were moderately food insecure and over half of the households (58.5%) experienced severe food insecurity. The result from the ordered probit regression identified socioeconomic variables (education, income and wealth status) as the main determinants of food security during the pandemic. This study indicates that over two-thirds of households were threatened by food insecurity in Nigeria. The finding indicates the gross inadequacy of government palliative support and distribution. Thus, regarding policy implication, interventions and palliatives should be well planned and consistent with household size and needs.