School Feeding Programme, Smallholder Farmers, and Development of Rural Areas in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigerian Federal government under the Muhammadu Buhari led-administration attempts to develop rural areas in Nigeria by introducing the Home-grown School Feeding (HGSF) Programme in 2016 in order to boost local agricultural production, create employment opportunities, reduce out-of-school children, boost nutrition and health status of schoolchildren, and ameliorate economic wellbeing of the rural areas as a strategy to grow and develop the Nigerian Economy. The study examines the linkages among School feeding Programme, smallholder farmers, and rural development in Nigeria. By comparing changes in agricultural productivity between treatment and control groups, the analysis reveals a positive but modest effect of the HGSF programme, with an R-squared value of 0.096 indicating that approximately 9.6% of the variability in agricultural output can be explained by the model. The findings align with existing literature that validates the role of school feeding programmes in enhancing agricultural productivity and food security. The study exposes the nation-wide impact of the policy given the huge investment in a single programme like the HGSF programme since implementation in the 35 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.