There is an increasing need to improve value addition in order to get maximum utility from agricultural systems. Using a retrospective panel data from 482 cassava farmers covering the years 2015–2017, this study examined the effect of value addition on productivity of farmers in the cassava system in Nigeria. We analysed a non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis to examine productivity across cassava production systems over the three year period. We also examined the impact of value addition on productivity using an endogenous switching regression to account for unobservables that determine the decision to add value and productivity of the farmers. The study found that cost and revenue outlays increased with value addition. Cassava farmers in general operated below the efficiency frontier, with total productivity declining over the 2015–2017 period. However, higher value addition farmers had better efficiency and non-reducing productivity in the periods studied. We found evidence of selection bias in the decision to add value and productivity of the farmers. The conditional and unconditional outcome estimates revealed positive gains in productivity with value addition, confirming the hypothesis that value addition increases farming households’ productivity. We recommend that essential services such as extension services, agricultural training, and ease of enterprise registration that drive agricultural value addition be made available to farmers.

The paradigm shift from value chains to value webs in the emerging bioeconomy has necessitated a review on how agricultural systems transit to value web production systems. This study examines how smallholders in the cassava system in Nigeria have been able to increase utilization of biomass in their production systems. Using a sample of 541 households, the study employed cluster analysis and ordered probit regression to examine the intensity of cassava utilization and the determinants of the intensity of utilization. The study found that over 50% of the respondents were classified as low-intensity utilization households, while ~13% were high-intensity utilization households. Land, social capital, farming experience, and asset ownership increased the probability of intensifying cassava utilization among smallholders. The study recommends strengthening assets acquisition, improving land quality and encouraging social capital development among smallholders.

Purpose: It is imperative to enhance local production, accessibility and appeal of basic foods like rice to accomplish United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 aiming for the attainment of zero hunger worldwide. Therefore, the study explored households’ preferences for locally produced rice (Ofada) in south-west Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach: Cross-sectional data were elicited from randomly selected 600 rice-consuming households in South-west Nigeria. The study applied the willingness-to-pay choice technique and a logistic regression model to analyze the dataset. Findings: The findings revealed that the most desirable attributes influencing households’ consumption preferences for local rice were nutritional quality and taste. At the time of data collection, consumers were also willing to pay ₦4.26 ($0.012) and ₦2.80 ($0.008) respectively for every unit improvement in those attributes. Conclusion: The study concluded that attainment of zero hunger in Nigeria is desirable and achievable by boosting local production of high-quality rice to attract sufficient demand. Practical Implications: This study underscored the effort needed to improve local rice production in Nigeria which should be targeted at improving the desired attributes to make indigenous (Ofada) rice attractive to consumers. This can be driven by stepping up investment in the rice value chain with adequate attention given to the processing stage where quality control and standards remain a top-most priority. Contribution to the Literature: This study presents a unique perspective by isolating and highlighting the desirable attributes of rice consuming households because these attributes played a critical role in the preference for local rice consumption.

Purpose: This paper decomposes intra-household gender differentials in resource allocation in Nigerian agricultural households. Gender differences in agricultural households affect livelihood resources and productivity in Nigeria as in many countries.Design/methodology/approach: Intersection of sex and age define gender as young male, young female, adult male and adult female within each household. Status of resource allocation was examined across the gendered groups. With the use of Oaxaca-Blinder, the mean outcome of resource allocation across the four gender groups was decomposed into components parts.Findings: Resource allocation was generally low among farming actors, with young males, adult and young females situating below the household average. Equal endowment with adult males would have increased resources for young males, as well as young and adult females, respectively by up to 0.21, 0.07 and 0.01. The returns effects were largely significant for young and adult females.Practical implications: The findings provide the premise to increase opportunities for female agricultural actors to access resources for their livelihood activities. Policies reducing the inequality between males and females in the Nigerian agricultural systems in terms of access to resources are recommended.Social implications: This study fits into the implementation of global goals to enhance gender equality and sustainable outcomes through inclusive access to productive resources in the Nigerian agrifood system.Originality/value: This study operationalized gender as the intersectionality of sex and age; obtained in many African settings. This helped to capture differences in roles, opportunities and constraints within agricultural livelihoods.Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2024-0322

Purpose: This study assessed factors influencing livelihood strategies and their impact on food security among riverine households in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional data were employed, with household dietary diversity (HDD) and household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) used as measures of food security. The study assessed factors influencing livelihood strategies and their impact on food security using the multinomial endogenous switching regression to control for selection bias and potential endogeneity in household livelihoods. The inverse probability weighted regression adjustment was used as a robust check. Findings: The result revealed that riverine households that engage in fishing and farming have the lowest dietary diversity and the highest food insecurity score. Factors such as family size, land ownership and proximity to the river influence engagement in different combinations of livelihoods. Engaging in artisanal jobs and craft production yields the highest impact on HDD and HFIAS with 19.52 and 95.84 percent change compared to households that only engage in fishing. Social implications: Riverine households are highly susceptible to environmental shocks and resource depletion. Social policies that promote livelihoods, like training and capacity-building to equip households with skills for sustainable diversification, are important. Originality/value: This study explores the originality of households engaging in craft production by utilizing water hyacinth plants, an innovative approach that aligns with emerging concepts in the circular economy. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2025-0298