Unlocking the Food Security Potential of Neglected Vegetables among Farming Households in Nigeria

Unlocking the Food Security Potential of Neglected Vegetables among Farming Households in Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Unlocking the Food Security Potential of Neglected Vegetables among Farming Households in Nigeria Ekemini Richard Mbossoh, Adeolu Babatunde Anyanwale, John Edet Sunday This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 19 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Nigeria, a leading populated country in Africa is constantly facing food insecurity crisis particularly among smallholder farming households. Despite the nutritional and economic significance of Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs), also known as neglected vegetables, their contribution to household food security remains largely unexplored. This study assessed the socio-demographic characteristics of UIV farming households, evaluated their food security status, and examined the impact of UIV production on food security in Osun State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through structured-questionnaires, and a multistage sampling procedure was used to select 180 UIV farming households. Descriptive statistics, food security index, and logit regression were employed for data analysis. Results showed that the food security line was ₦5,029.08, 58.9% of households were classified as food secure, while 41.1percent were non-food secure. Food insecurity incidence, depth, and severity were 41.11%, 5.84%, and 1.77%, respectively. The Logit regression result revealed that education, income from UIVs, and credit access significantly increased the likelihood of being food secure, whereas household size and farm size did not. Policies promoting access to credit, extension services, and education among UIV farmers are essential to enhance food security and scale-up the potential of UIVs in the study area. food security logit regression Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs) farming households Nigeria Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 29 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 28 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 18 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9052288","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":614222805,"identity":"d4b152be-62b1-4d46-9273-5c2c321e3488","order_by":0,"name":"Ekemini Richard Mbossoh","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACHiBOYJBgMABxGBtsQGTjAVK0pIFJwlpAAKrlMJiDVws/z+GjGx7usIg2Z29//OHjjvN2a9sPA22psYnGpUWyty3tRuIZidydPWfMJGeeuZ287UwiUMuxtNwGHFoMzvOY3Uhsk8jdcCOHjZm37Xay2QGgFqALcWqxP8//Daol/fFn3rZzyWbnH+LXYsDbwwbVkmAgzdt2wA5oKX4tEmeOQRwG8UtbcoLZDaAtCXj8wt+T/Ozmz7a63O3gEGuzszc7n/7wwYcaG5xaMEAiWGUCscpBwJ4UxaNgFIyCUTAyAADPQ2rOoG55BgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Obafemi Awolowo University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ekemini","middleName":"Richard","lastName":"Mbossoh","suffix":""},{"id":614222806,"identity":"02e45e50-7c1d-4162-a1df-32d9216a3ade","order_by":1,"name":"Adeolu Babatunde Anyanwale","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Obafemi Awolowo University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adeolu","middleName":"Babatunde","lastName":"Anyanwale","suffix":""},{"id":614222807,"identity":"15e325c0-daed-46a5-b084-0d61876b32ca","order_by":2,"name":"John Edet Sunday","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Akwa Ibom State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"John","middleName":"Edet","lastName":"Sunday","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-06 15:53:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105956280,"identity":"93a382ad-8147-4774-8092-9312f2f67b97","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 20:25:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":350916,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscriptwithauthorsdetailss1rephrased.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9052288/v1_covered_67490c77-807a-44c4-90a7-ec4460a0ae20.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Unlocking the Food Security Potential of Neglected Vegetables among Farming Households in Nigeria","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"food security, logit regression, Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs) farming households, Nigeria","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eNigeria, a leading populated country in Africa is constantly facing food insecurity crisis particularly among smallholder farming households. Despite the nutritional and economic significance of Underutilized Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs), also known as neglected vegetables, their contribution to household food security remains largely unexplored. This study assessed the socio-demographic characteristics of UIV farming households, evaluated their food security status, and examined the impact of UIV production on food security in Osun State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through structured-questionnaires, and a multistage sampling procedure was used to select 180 UIV farming households. Descriptive statistics, food security index, and logit regression were employed for data analysis. Results showed that the food security line was ₦5,029.08, 58.9% of households were classified as food secure, while 41.1percent were non-food secure. Food insecurity incidence, depth, and severity were 41.11%, 5.84%, and 1.77%, respectively. The Logit regression result revealed that education, income from UIVs, and credit access significantly increased the likelihood of being food secure, whereas household size and farm size did not. Policies promoting access to credit, extension services, and education among UIV farmers are essential to enhance food security and scale-up the potential of UIVs in the study area.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Unlocking the Food Security Potential of Neglected Vegetables among Farming Households in Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-01 20:24:54","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9052288/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T15:50:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-05T14:31:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T12:24:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-01T10:52:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"52813231668613603075422395286077889601","date":"2026-04-29T16:13:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-29T07:03:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"292672063928489682014404643568855912876","date":"2026-04-29T06:52:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"32825479635888372129795652860259795263","date":"2026-04-27T01:53:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"1411831410231436157110320328902182292","date":"2026-04-26T09:23:52+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"328186790929881691094134080260068202085","date":"2026-04-24T19:40:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"303922463156551385258360538752372643366","date":"2026-04-24T15:36:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"25854804355898243667250552869479396541","date":"2026-04-23T17:16:58+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-21T19:46:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"39647787941075884144847349414512026557","date":"2026-04-21T19:29:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-30T02:35:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-29T03:38:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-20T10:49:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-18T23:42:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Sustainability","date":"2026-03-18T15:34:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9e2d745e-9f9e-4a02-831e-972343ca276a","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 1st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T15:50:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-05T14:31:51+00:00","index":67,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T12:24:57+00:00","index":66,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-01T10:52:15+00:00","index":65,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"52813231668613603075422395286077889601","date":"2026-04-29T16:13:44+00:00","index":64,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T16:25:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-01 20:24:54","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9052288","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9052288","identity":"rs-9052288","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}