Food Security and Poverty Status Among Farmers in the Traditional Rain-fed Sector in North Kordofan State, Sudan

This paper aimed to assess the food security and poverty status of farming households to measure poverty incidence, severity, poverty gap, and income inequality. Data were collected from 205 farmers in four Localities; namely, Sheikan, Umrwaba, Elnuhoud and Elkhowei, North Kordofan State, using a random sampling technique. The household food security can be modeled in the framework of food energy intake and direct caloric intake (Calorie/person/day and non-consumed foods). The Foster-Greer- Thorbecke index was used to measure poverty. It combines information on the extent of poverty as measured by the head count ratio, the intensity of poverty as measured by the total poverty gap and inequality among the poor as measured by the Gini Coefficient and the coefficient of variation for the poor. The results showed that the majority (61%) of the respondents were food insecure. In total sample households, the incidence of poverty, average poverty gap and square poverty gap were 68.8%, 37.3% and 20.3%, respectively, when the 1 US$ a day index was applied. The estimated Gini coefficient was 48.7%