COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria

The policy measures of the government of Nigeria to restrain the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the initial three months (April – June 2020) led to significant disruptions to household livelihoods and food security. We investigate the effects of COVID-19 on food security and dietary diversity o...

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Main Authors: Balana, Bedru, Ogunniyi, Adebayo, Oyeyemi, Motunrayo, Fasoranti, Adetunji, Edeh, Hyacinth O., Andam, Kwaw S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140394
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author Balana, Bedru
Ogunniyi, Adebayo
Oyeyemi, Motunrayo
Fasoranti, Adetunji
Edeh, Hyacinth O.
Andam, Kwaw S.
author_browse Andam, Kwaw S.
Balana, Bedru
Edeh, Hyacinth O.
Fasoranti, Adetunji
Ogunniyi, Adebayo
Oyeyemi, Motunrayo
author_facet Balana, Bedru
Ogunniyi, Adebayo
Oyeyemi, Motunrayo
Fasoranti, Adetunji
Edeh, Hyacinth O.
Andam, Kwaw S.
author_sort Balana, Bedru
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The policy measures of the government of Nigeria to restrain the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the initial three months (April – June 2020) led to significant disruptions to household livelihoods and food security. We investigate the effects of COVID-19 on food security and dietary diversity of households; focusing on the pathways through which income loss, endowments of wealth, social capital, and safety net programs moderate the severity of households’ food security and dietary diversity. Primary data obtained from a telephone survey of 1,031 Nigerian households were analyzed using ordered logit and negative binomial models. Our results show that income losses due to the COVID-19 restrictive measures had pushed households into a more severe food insecurity and less diverse nutritional outcomes. Regarding wealth effects, livestock ownership significantly cushioned households from falling into a more severe food insecurity amid the pandemic. We found that because of the pandemic’s indiscriminate effect across communities, the potential of social capital as an informal support mechanism might have been eroded to enable households to cope with shocks. Furthermore, safety net programs by the government and NGOs did not provide significant protection to households from falling into severe food insecurity and malnutrition amid the pandemic. We suggest three policy propositions – prioritize investment in local job creation to curb income loss; build the wealth base of households (e.g., land tenure security or livestock) to enhance resilience to shocks; and target safety nets and other social support programs spatially, temporally, and across social groups to enhance the effectiveness of such programs amid shocks.
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spelling CGSpace1403942025-10-26T13:01:45Z COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria Balana, Bedru Ogunniyi, Adebayo Oyeyemi, Motunrayo Fasoranti, Adetunji Edeh, Hyacinth O. Andam, Kwaw S. income surveys coronavirus covid-19 households capacity development coronavirinae livelihoods food security coronavirus disease food insecurity dietary diversity household surveys shock policies investment nutrition livestock social safety nets governance The policy measures of the government of Nigeria to restrain the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the initial three months (April – June 2020) led to significant disruptions to household livelihoods and food security. We investigate the effects of COVID-19 on food security and dietary diversity of households; focusing on the pathways through which income loss, endowments of wealth, social capital, and safety net programs moderate the severity of households’ food security and dietary diversity. Primary data obtained from a telephone survey of 1,031 Nigerian households were analyzed using ordered logit and negative binomial models. Our results show that income losses due to the COVID-19 restrictive measures had pushed households into a more severe food insecurity and less diverse nutritional outcomes. Regarding wealth effects, livestock ownership significantly cushioned households from falling into a more severe food insecurity amid the pandemic. We found that because of the pandemic’s indiscriminate effect across communities, the potential of social capital as an informal support mechanism might have been eroded to enable households to cope with shocks. Furthermore, safety net programs by the government and NGOs did not provide significant protection to households from falling into severe food insecurity and malnutrition amid the pandemic. We suggest three policy propositions – prioritize investment in local job creation to curb income loss; build the wealth base of households (e.g., land tenure security or livestock) to enhance resilience to shocks; and target safety nets and other social support programs spatially, temporally, and across social groups to enhance the effectiveness of such programs amid shocks. 2023-02 2024-03-14T12:09:27Z 2024-03-14T12:09:27Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140394 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134179 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134805 Limited Access Springer Balana, Bedru; Ogunniyi, Adebayo; Oyeyemi, Motunrayo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Edeh, Hyacinth; and Andam, Kwaw S. 2023. COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria. Food Security 15: 219-241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01312-w
spellingShingle income
surveys
coronavirus
covid-19
households
capacity development
coronavirinae
livelihoods
food security
coronavirus disease
food insecurity
dietary diversity
household surveys
shock
policies
investment
nutrition
livestock
social safety nets
governance
Balana, Bedru
Ogunniyi, Adebayo
Oyeyemi, Motunrayo
Fasoranti, Adetunji
Edeh, Hyacinth O.
Andam, Kwaw S.
COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title_full COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title_fullStr COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title_short COVID‑19, food insecurity and dietary diversity of households: Survey evidence from Nigeria
title_sort covid 19 food insecurity and dietary diversity of households survey evidence from nigeria
topic income
surveys
coronavirus
covid-19
households
capacity development
coronavirinae
livelihoods
food security
coronavirus disease
food insecurity
dietary diversity
household surveys
shock
policies
investment
nutrition
livestock
social safety nets
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140394
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