Chukwuma E C, Afolabi O O D, Okonkwo C C, Olamigoke O O, Okonkwo C E
Department of Agricultural and Bioresources EngineeringFaculty of Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
Future Africa, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 4;14(1):30204. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77845-1.
Most developing countries are currently experiencing a severe food security crisis. A good policy to mitigate food insecurity is dependent on accurate assessment. Therefore, an improved assessment of food situation is important in implementing food security measures. Existing food security assessments are limited in integrating localized variables, often needing more context-specific information. This study proposes a new food security index (Hybrid Food Security Index-HFSI), the Nigerian state was used as a case study. Data used include; food consumption, poverty levels, variability in food prices, inflation, climate variability data and the status of road infrastructure. The study also integrated a hybrid Multi-criteria Criteria Decision Model (MCDM) and geo-spatial technology. The geo-spatial presentation of food security across Nigeria shows that food security is generally better in the Southern part of the country than in the Northern region. Broadly, indicators' performance primarily improves from the country's North to South, which suggests that Northern states tend to be less food secure than Southern states. According to the Fuzzy-DEMATEL-ANP model, the Poverty level indicator significantly impacts the food security situation in all focused states, as it received the highest priority weight of 0.1487. The study recommends intensifying poverty alleviation programs to improve food security, and women's development programs should be prioritized. This study provides policymakers and stakeholders with evidence-based assessments to address food security challenges in Nigeria.
大多数发展中国家目前正经历严重的粮食安全危机。一项缓解粮食不安全的良好政策依赖于准确评估。因此，改进粮食状况评估对于实施粮食安全措施至关重要。现有的粮食安全评估在整合局部变量方面存在局限性，往往缺乏更具体的背景信息。本研究提出了一种新的粮食安全指数（混合粮食安全指数-HFSI），并以尼日利亚州为例进行研究。使用的数据包括：粮食消费、贫困水平、粮食价格波动、通货膨胀、气候变率数据以及道路基础设施状况。该研究还整合了混合多标准决策模型（MCDM）和地理空间技术。尼日利亚全国粮食安全的地理空间呈现表明，该国南部的粮食安全总体上优于北部地区。总体而言，指标表现主要从该国北部到南部有所改善，这表明北部各州的粮食安全程度往往低于南部各州。根据模糊DEMATEL-ANP模型，贫困水平指标对所有重点州的粮食安全状况有显著影响，因为它获得了最高优先级权重0.1487。该研究建议加强扶贫计划以改善粮食安全，并应优先考虑妇女发展计划。本研究为政策制定者和利益相关者提供了基于证据的评估，以应对尼日利亚的粮食安全挑战。
