Examining the Role of Home Economics Education in Building Household Resilience to Food Price Shocks in Northern Nigeria

This study examines the role of Home Economics Education in building household resilience to food price shocks across northern Nigeria, covering the North West, North East, and North Central geopolitical zones. Recurrent food price inflation in Nigeria, driven by insecurity, climate change, and exchange rate volatility, disproportionately affects northern households with limited livelihood diversification, and the potential of Home Economics-derived skills to build adaptive capacity remains theoretically unexplored. The study employs a multi-wave longitudinal design, collecting household data before and after documented food price shock events in twelve communities across six northern states. A sample of 480 households was stratified by the Home Economics educational attainment of the primary food manager. Data collection tools include the Household Resilience Index, food expenditure diaries, dietary diversity scores, and a coping strategies scale. Analytical methods include difference-in-differences estimation, latent growth curve modelling, and hierarchical regression. The Household Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity Framework anchors the study. Original contributions include the first longitudinal resilience model incorporating Home Economics Education as a structural variable, an adapted Household Resilience Index for northern Nigerian contexts, and causal evidence linking domestic skill competence to dietary maintenance during price shocks. Recommendations address the Central Bank of Nigeria, state food security councils, and Home Economics departments. Keywords: household resilience, food price shocks, Home Economics Education, northern Nigeria, food security.