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Knowledge4Policy
Knowledge for policy
Supporting policy with scientific evidence

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  • Publication | 2026
Leveraging information and communication technologies to enhance food security and asset accumulation among farming households in Nigeria

Agricultural households in Nigeria face a persistent vulnerability trap driven by low productivity, market volatility, and limited capacity to accumulate assets or maintain stable food access. Leveraging Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been proposed as a way to break this cycle by improving information access, decision quality, and financial inclusion. This study investigates whether ICT access enhances food security and asset accumulation among farming households in Nigeria, using nationally representative microdata from the 2018/2019 LSMS-ISA (GHS-Panel). Descriptive statistics, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), an ordered probit model, and a fractional regression model were employed. Results show that although nearly half of households are food secure, one in four remains food insecure, and asset ownership is unequally distributed. Mobile phone access is widespread, but internet access is low and stratified. Econometric estimates indicate that age, years of residence, per capita income, marital status, and mobile phone access significantly influence food security, while age, marital status, and mobile phone access significantly determine asset accumulation. The study concludes that ICTs, particularly mobile phones, relax informational and coordination frictions and strengthen rural resilience when embedded within broader income-stabilizing and socially rooted systems. It recommends a mobile-first digital agriculture strategy to achieve inclusive gains in food security and asset accumulation.