Abstract
This study was conducted in 2019 and it evaluates the impact of rice production on employment, food security and poverty in Kebbi State. A multistage (three stage) sampling technique was employed to select the farm households. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to 302 farmers to achieve the objectives of the study. The analytical tools used were descriptive statistics and Logistic regression. The results revealed that 53.25 percent of the rice farmers were non poor as against 46.75 percent of the farmers that were poor. The logistic regression analysis for the determinants of poverty status shows that ten explanatory variables were estimated and all but one were significantly related to poverty status of the farmers in the study area. The determinants of food security status was obtained from Tobit regression and the analysis of the survey data revealed that 7 out of 9 explanatory variables included in the model were significant in explaining the variation in food security status of household in the study area. Furthermore, the results from the multiple regression model testing for the determinants of employments were also derived. The results indicates that the factors that had significant influence on the dependent variable (i.e. employment) were, Farm size (positive), Non-farm income (positive), Rice Production (positive)) Number of labour, Hours (positive) and Labour Cost (negative), Household size and Land Ownership. The insignificant factors were Age, Gender, and Non-farm income. Finally, based on the results obtained from the study, recommendations were given to both farmers and the government accordingly.