Public plate and socio-economic outcomes: Explaining the impact of the national home-grown school feeding programme on out-of-school children and the local economy in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

Extant studies on the implementation of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Nigeria have extensively explored the neo-liberal inclination of the programme and its socioeconomic impact. However, the program's performance indicators in stimulating a reduction in the population of out-of-school children (OOSCs) and the multiplier effects on the economy of the local participating communities in Nsukka have largely remained understudied. To address this lacuna, this paper aims to assess the impact of NHGSFP in the area. A mixed method of data collection and a qualitative descriptive method of data analysis were adopted. Using welfare state analysis as an explanatory tool, the paper concludes that the implementation of NHGSFP in Nsukka shows a strong relationship between the implementation of the NHGSFP and the reduction in the number of OOSCs in Nsukka. In addition to the multiplier effects on the economy of the local communities, the programme has arguably stimulated a viable and ready local market, which has contributed to boosting the income of the indigenous farmers and traders who supply farm produce to the food vendors. Findings also indicate that sustaining the gains of NHGSFP requires holistic funding commitments and the provision of all the necessary logistics and regulatory environments by all the levels of government in Nigeria.