FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA: A DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR STRENGTHENING IGBEMO-EKITI AS A REGIONAL AGROPOLE

Most governments in developing countries (DCs) now pay greater attention to food security, for self-reliance in certain staple food, particularly rice. This paper, therefore, considers the promotion of rice production in a growing town in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Two hundred and sixty four dwellers were randomly selected in the existing 21 residential quarters in the study area (Igbemo) and interviewed, out of which 170 were rice farmers. Data analysis was carried out using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and percentages, the Pearson Moment correlation test and the multiple linear regression models. Results show that most of the rice farmers (i) embrace local technology, (ii) operate on subsistence scale, (iii) realise low yield, (iv) earn low income and (v) lack institutional support to sustain production. Suggestions for policy measures were offered based on research fi ndings.