Journal of Food Security

Global climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing us today. As agricultural activities expand to less fertile areas to satisfy growing demands for food, the scenarios of global environmental change suggest future increases in aridity in many areas on the earth making drought stress an important issue worldwide. Accordingly, novel solutions for plant survival and growth under restricted water availability are of central significance in contemporary plant science. Rhizobacterial ability to increase plant growth and provide protection to various pathogens has been frequently reported and applied in agricultural systems. Relatively few reports have been published on the bacterial ability to induce drought stress tolerance. Application of the isolates together with novel technologies for their monitoring and risk evaluations can contribute to solving food security issues in the changing climates. Commercial applications of the rhizobacterial isolates need complex approaches, both in the technology in the field, and in the commercial financing and ownership of the patent rights.

Journal of Food Security. 2013, 1(1), 6-10. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-1-1-2
Pub. Date: May 25, 2013

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Urbanization, Household Food Security and Childhood Malnutrition: A Comparison of Two Communities in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria

by Best Ordinioha and Seiyefa Brisibe

Original Research

Armed insurgency and environmental degradation have pushed several people out of the rural communities of the Niger delta, and into the urban centers of the region. This massive migration caused the conversion of agricultural lands into other purposes, leading to fears of household food insecurity, especially among the indigenous population. This study compares the situation in a rural, and an urban community in Rivers State, one of the States in the Niger delta region of Nigeria. It used the Cornell-Radimer Food Security Scale to assess household food security and anthropometry to assess childhood malnutrition. A total of 204 questionnaires were administered and retrieved in both study communities, while the anthropometry of 332 under-five year children was taken. There were no significant differences in the age and household size of the respondents, but the respondents in the urban community were significantly better educated (p-value <0.001). The households in the urban community were also significantly better food secure (p-value < 0.005); and had significantly lower prevalence of wasting (p-value < 0.001), underweight (p-value < 0.005) and stunting (p-value < 0.001) than the households in the rural community. The indigenous population of the urban community was therefore better food secure, in spite of the loss of their farmlands to urbanization.

Journal of Food Security. 2013, 1(1), 1-5. DOI: 10.12691/jfs-1-1-1
Pub. Date: May 14, 2013

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