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Following the method, the food insecurity line is given as:

LnX = a + bC (1)

Where

X is the adult equivalent food expenditure and C is the actual calorie consumption

per adult equivalent in a household. The recommended minimum daily calorie

requirement per adult equivalent is 2250 kcal (see FAO 1982; Food Basket 1995)

and this was used to determine the food insecurity line, using the equation:

S = ( )

where,

S = the cost of buying the minimum calorie intake requirement

(i.e., the food insecurity line); a and b = parameter estimates in equation

1, and L = recommended minimum daily calorie intake level.

Estimation of food security

In assessing food security at the household level, we will first ask the household

heads to make their own assessment of food security. We then proceeded and

calculated food security for all the households and then classified them as food-

secure or food-insecure households accordingly. The food security analysis will be

to compare the food security level between adopters and non-adopters of early

maturing maize varieties.

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The study will use the cost-of-calories (CoC) method proposed by Fosteret al.

(1984) in Paul et al., 2009 to determine the food insecurity line. This method yields

a value that is usually close to the minimum calorie requirements for human

survival. The process involves defining a minimum level of nutrition necessary to

maintain healthy living.

This minimum level is referred to as the food insecurity line for the study area,below which households are classified as food insecure, subsisting on inadequate

nutrition. Calorie adequacy was estimated by dividing the estimated calorie supply

for the households by the household size adjusted for adult equivalents using the

consumption factor for age sex categories.Therefore, using this method, the food insecurity line is will be given as

LnX = a+bC

(1)

Where X is the adult equivalent food expenditure (in Naira) and C is the actual

calorie consumption/adult equivalent of a household (in kcal). The calorie content

of the recommended minimum daily nutrient level (L) by Gohl (1981) in Paulet

al.,2009 will be used to determine the food insecurity line (S) using the equation:

S= ( )

(2)

Where,

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S = the cost of buying the minimum calorie intake for maize (food insecurity line)

a& b = parameter estimates from equation 1

L = recommended minimum daily energy (calorie) level for maize (2250 kcal)

Based on the S calculated, households will be classified as food secure or food

insecure, depending on which side of the line they fall.