INVOLVEMENT OF HOUSEHOLDS IN BACKYARD FARMING ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN MAIDUGURI METROPOLIS, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA.
This study examined the involvement of households in backyard farming and its influence on household food security in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. A two-stage sampling procedure was adopted for the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that households cultivated diverse crops, with fruit vegetables (27.3%) and leafy vegetables (23.6%), root and tuber crops (18.2%) and fruits (17.3%). Backyard farming significantly improved household food availability, as 45.5% of respondents reported increased food availability, while 31.8% experienced an average increase, indicating that most households benefited from the practice. Regression results showed that education level, household size, farm size, access to credit, farming experience, and access to extension services positively and significantly influenced household involvement in backyard farming. Conversely, age and distance to market had negative but significant effects on participation. The model explained 61.1% of the variation in involvement, indicating strong explanatory power. Major constraints affecting backyard farming included limited land/space (22.7%), water scarcity (18.2%), climate change (15.9%), limited access to inputs (13.6%), and inadequate capital (11.4%). Other constraints such as poor extension services, pest and disease incidence, and insecurity also hindered effective participation. The study concludes that backyard farming plays a significant role in enhancing household food availability, dietary diversity, and livelihood resilience in urban conflict-affected environments. The study recommends that; Improve access to water for backyard farming. Government and development agencies should promote affordable small-scale irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation, water harvesting, and household water storage systems to address water scarcity
Keywords: Involvement, Backyard Farming, Household Food Security, Maiduguri Metropolis, Nigeria.
