Awareness of Container Urban Agriculture among Urban Dwellers for Food Security and Environmental Sustainability in North-Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Low agricultural activities among urban dwellers in the country have created an imbalance in demand and supply for food thus threatening food security. The need to bridge the demand and supply gap for food calls for urban agriculture. The study therefore sought to investigate awareness of container urban agriculture among urban dwellers for food security and environmental sustainability in North-Central, Nigeria. The study was guided by five objectives, five research questions, and three null hypotheses. The study adopted a survey research design. The population for the study was 125 which consist of 51 vegetable farmers, 36 civil servants, 27 retirees, and 24 florists. The entire population was used. The instrument for data collection was Container Urban Agriculture Awareness Questionnaire (CUAAQ) was validated by three experts and pilot-tested on 30 urban farmers in Taraba State. Cronbach-Alpha was used to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.821. The data were analysed using percentages, means, and ANOVA. The null hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that people of different socioeconomic statuses were involved in urban agriculture, cereals, root/tubers, and vegetable crops were produced and containers like old motor tyres and sacks were used for food production. It further revealed that urban dwellers adopted the use of animal manure, and reduced the use of inorganic fertilizers to promote environmental sustainability. The study recommended enlightenment campaigns, training urban dwellers to acquire skills in container urban agriculture, and making laws that permit the inclusion of agricultural land in master plans of towns.