Assessment of Road Transport, Agricultural Pricing and Food Security in Cross River State, Nigeria

Food security remains a critical concern in many developing countries, particularly in Nigeria, where agricultural production and distribution are often constrained by infrastructural and economic challenges. In Cross River State, a region rich in agricultural resources, the effectiveness of road transport infrastructure and agricultural pricing mechanisms plays a significant role in determining the availability, accessibility and affordability of food. Against this background, coupled with the lacuna in the literature which this research intends to fill, this study investigates the interplay between road transport, agricultural pricing and food security in Cross River State with focus on Odukpani and Akpabuyo Local Government Areas. The specific objectives were to examine the effect of road transport on agricultural pricing in Cross River State; and assess the effect of road transport on food security in Cross River State. The cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study and the study population comprised farming households in Odukpani and Akpabuyo LGAs from which a sample of 200 hundred (200) respondents was drawn using the probability sampling technique. While 200 copies of structured questionnaire were administered, 195 were appropriately filled out, retrieved and analyzed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the primary data. The findings from the logistic regression revealed that both road transport and agricultural pricing have insignificant effect on food security in Cross River State. Further findings showed that road transport has an insignificant effect on agricultural pricing in Cross River State. Based on the findings, it was recommended that government should invest more in rural road infrastructures, integrate road infrastructure with food supply systems, Cross River State can achieve better food distribution, among others are critical to stabilizing agricultural prices, ensuring fair returns for farmers, and enhancing the general food security in Cross River State.