Implications Of Changes In Commodity Prices And Income On Nutrient Availability Among Households In Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Food calorie intake has been found to have a strong empirical linkage with both human health and productivity. This study sets out to determine the probable influence of price and income changes on the availability of food nutrients to households in Northern Nigeria. Demand elasticities were obtained from survey respondents and the nutritional effects of changes arising from changes in income and prices were computed using both the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) methodology and a technique developed by Huang. The findings show that yam, maize and guinea corn are the foods that would have the greatest implications for the nutrient status of the households. The study concludes with the likely applications of the methodology used to derive nutrient elasticities