Social Work and Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Families in Gombe State, North East Nigeria

Food insecurity among low-income families is a critical social welfare issue that undermines physical health, child development, and household stability. This study investigates the dimensions of food insecurity among low-income families in Gombe State and examines current social work responses to address it, with focus on Gombe Municipal and Akko local government areas. A descriptive survey approach is adopted, with 100 low-income family representatives and social workers surveyed through structured questionnaires. Data are analysed using frequencies and percentages. The study finds that seasonal agricultural income volatility, irregular government food assistance, and unemployment are the primary drivers of food insecurity in the households studied. Social workers from state welfare agencies and humanitarian organisations provide referrals to food banks and emergency food assistance programmes, but these services do not meet the scale of need. Many food insecure families are unregistered with any welfare system and are invisible to formal support mechanisms. Recommendations include conducting community-level food security assessments to identify chronically food-insecure households, training social workers in livelihoods-sensitive food assistance approaches, and strengthening the social protection targeting system to ensure food assistance reaches the most vulnerable. Keywords: food insecurity, social work, low-income families, Gombe State, social protection