Food Sovereignty, Gender Equity, and Nutrition Outcomes in Smallholder Farming Communities of the North Central Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria: A Critical Analysis

Food sovereignty, defined as the right of peoples to define their own food systems and policies, intersects complexly with gender relations and household nutrition outcomes in Nigerian smallholder farming contexts. This study critically analysed the relationships between food sovereignty, gender equity, and nutrition outcomes in smallholder farming communities across Benue, Plateau, and Niger States in the North Central geopolitical zone. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used, with a household survey of 500 farming households followed by purposive qualitative fieldwork comprising in-depth interviews with 40 women farmers and 20 community leaders. Food sovereignty was operationalised across dimensions of land rights, market access, seed sovereignty, and dietary decision-making autonomy. Gender equity was assessed using a composite index validated for rural Nigerian settings. Child and maternal nutritional outcomes were evaluated through anthropometric and dietary diversity measures. Structural equation modelling and feminist analytical frameworks were jointly applied. Results showed that greater female control over productive land and food marketing income was associated with significantly higher household dietary diversity and improved child nutritional outcomes. Households with higher food sovereignty scores demonstrated lower stunting prevalence. Patriarchal land tenure systems emerged as a structural constraint on women's food sovereignty and nutrition influence. The study advances theoretical frameworks connecting agrarian political economy, gender studies, and nutrition science in the African context. Keywords: food sovereignty, gender equity, nutrition outcomes, smallholder farming, North Central Nigeria