NUTRITIONAL POVERTY ANALYSIS OF HOUSEHOLDS IN EKITI STATE

Abstract

This study analyzes the nutritional profile (calorie/animal protein) of three categories of household in Ekiti state. Data were collected through administration of questionnaires using the extension agents of the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) of the state. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis, nutrient (calorie/animal protein) estimation and nutritional deficiency index assessment. The poverty line used for the analysis is the FAO/WHO Recommended Dietary Allocation for calorie intake per average male in 1985, which is 2150.6 Kcal. It investigated and compared income status, degrees of nutritional poverty and coping strategies adopted for the different categories of households. The results revealed that a total of 44.54% of all the three categories of household in the study area (13.73, 24.14 and 6.67 percents of civil servant, farmer and artisan households respectively) could satisfy the FAOIWHO recommended dietary allocation of calories intake. Besides, male-headed households have poorer households nutritionally than female-headed households but severity is greater among the female-headed households for all the three categories of household. Also, household size is directly proportional to incidence of poverty for all households. However, the educational level of the household head is inversely proportional to incidence of poverty for all the categories of households. The ages of household heads of civil servant and artisan households are directly proportional to the incidence of poverty but the reverse is the case with the farmer households where the age of the household head is inversely proportional to incidence of poverty. Coping strategies mostly used by all the household categories when there was shortage of food was "eating less-preferred food". Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that majority of the households in the study area were nutritionally poor but nutritional poverty was highest among the artisan households. The civil servant households in the rural area were the richest. Recommendations suggested to address the problem of nutrition include nutritional- programmes, backyard-farming, favourable economic policies that are masses focused and agriculture programmes free from politics.