FLOOD MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN KOGI STATE

Abstract

The resultant effect of flooding on food security is a concern to residents and relevant stakeholders that are charged 
with the responsibilities of managing flood disaster in Kogi State, Nigeria. Despite flood resilience efforts in the 
State, the risk and severity of riverine and flash floods being exacerbated by the pattern of yearly rainfall heavily 
threatened food production in some flood-prone communities. Therefore, the study seeks to examine flood 
mitigation strategies and food sustainability in Kogi State. The study employed mixed research designs. A multi
stage sampling technique was used to sample 493 respondents from 18 communities in 9 LGAs that frequently 
experience flood, flood disaster management’s stakeholders and analysed with the use of simple percentages and 
mean score. Also, 20 interview sessions were successfully conducted for flood disaster management’s stakeholders, 
farmers and flood victims and subjected to content analysis. The findings revealed that flood disaster have 
detrimental effect on household food budgets, post-harvest losses and high inflations of food commodities. 
Meanwhile, the adopted flood mitigation strategies were largely ineffective in the riverine communities. Whilst, it’s 
recommended that government should encourage the use of climate-smart agricultural techniques to boost flood 
resilience, irrigation systems, integrated water management, and crop diversity.