Abstract:
The paucity of literature on the influence of land tenure across a range of food
insecurity outcomes may impede a complete analysis in developing countries. This
paper examines the association between land tenure and food security among 1434
sampled smallholders from the Nigeria Living Standards Measurement Study-
Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) three-round panel dataset. The data
were analyzed by a flexible conditional difference-in-difference model and a
generalized ordered logit regression. The regression results showed that smallholders
who owned land and acquired plots for free were less likely to have high Household
Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS). On the other hand, owners of family-inherited plots
were more likely to consume diverse diets and hold more assets. Holders of informal
land documents were more likely to be food secure by having a low food
expenditure share, high HDDS and Livelihood Coping Strategy (LCS). Meanwhile,
perceived rights to mortgage land for a loan may be enhanced with having formal
land certificates than informal land documents. The study concluded that formal
land governance should recognize land ownership via family inheritance and holding
informal land documents to support smallholder food security by increasing their
dietary diversity and lowering their food expenditure shares.
