Analysis of Households Willingness and Awareness to Practice Backyard Vegetable Production in Kumbutso Local Government Area, Kano

This study assesses the awareness and willingness of households in Kumbotso Local Government Area, Kano State, Nigeria, to practice backyard vegetable production (BVP) as a strategy to combat food insecurity. The research is motivated by the rising levels of urban food insecurity in Nigeria, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, land scarcity, and insufficient traditional agricultural output. Utilizing a multistage sampling technique, data were collected from 86 households through structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze socio-economic characteristics, awareness levels, vegetable preferences, and adoption constraints, while ordinal logistic regression examined factors influencing willingness to practice backyard vegetable production. The findings reveal a moderately youthful and educated population, with a general understanding of BVP’s nutritional and economic benefits. However, awareness of practical implementation and institutional support is limited. Despite financial and technical constraints, over 70% of respondents expressed willingness to allocate home space for vegetable cultivation, with tomato, okra, and spinach being the preferred crops due to ease of cultivation and high demand. The regression analysis shows the model has moderate explanatory power, with Cox and Snell R² (0.166), Nagelkerke R² (0.192), and McFadden R² (0.090), indicating that socio-economic variables explain approximately 16.6% to 19.2% of the variation in willingness to adopt BVP. Although the overall model fit is not statistically significant (Chi-square = 12.512, p = 0.405), individual variables provide meaningful insights. Age is positively associated with willingness to adopt and is marginally significant, suggesting older individuals may be more inclined to embrace BVP. Education level and occupation categories, relative to their reference groups, show varied but statistically insignificant effects, with primary education exhibiting the most negative association. Household income, household size, and home ownership status also did not significantly influence willingness to adopt, despite their theoretical relevance. These findings highlight nuanced socio-economic influences and underscore the need for targeted policy and programmatic interventions that address awareness gaps, technical barriers, and perceived relevance across demographic segments. Recommendations include community-based training programs, input subsidies, and the integration of backyard vegetable production into urban food security policies.