POTENTIALS OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION TO FOOD SECURITY IN WUKARI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, TARABA STATE, NORTH EAST, NIGERIA
This study examined the potentials of aquaculture production to food security in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. A sampling frame was drawn from 200 respondents, through Cluster random sampling technique was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; frequency distribution and percentage, while chi-square was used to test the hypothesis at P<0.05 significant level; T test for mean condition difference and mean separation with Pearson’s correlation at 0.05 level (2-tailed). Most of the respondents were educated (83%) with house size of 10-14 (37%). Majority of the respondents considered the potentials of aquaculture providing source of livelihood/income (70%), source of employment (75.5%), provide food security, fish mortality (90%) and high cost of fish production (80%) were the major constraints to the respondents. The analysis of Variance ANOVA, P<0.05) for Physio-Chemical characteristics among WN, WS, WE and WW; Water Temperature showed significant difference between zones; dissolved Oxygen showed no significant difference between the zones; power of Hydrogen showed significant difference between zones; Electrical Conductivity showed significant difference between zones and Turbidity showed no significant difference between zones/sampled stations. The reliable source of water was borehole and river. Hence, it is recommended that the department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, under the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Federal University Wukari should lunch a fish farming training progamme to alleviate hunger and poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition among the populace.
KEYWORDS: Water Quality, Fish Farming, Food Security, Empowerment, First Class Protein, poverty alleviation
