Poverty and food insecurity in low-income countries are at the heart of the current agenda
of the international community. The first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) aims to
eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, with a target of halving the incidence of poverty and
hunger by 2015. This study contributes to that agenda. Using data from the General Household
Survey fielded by the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, I analyze the relationship between
household heads’ level of education and food security in Nigeria. Regression models controlling
for a wide range of individual characteristics, household characteristics and community
characteristics are used to investigate this relationship. The results of this analysis show a
negative, robust correlation between level of education and food security status among
households in Nigeria. These findings suggest that policymakers choosing potential investments
for the rural poor might consider channeling investment to the educational sector to help
address the food insecurity crisis.