Food Security as a Driver of Sustainable Development: Empirical Evidence from South-West Nigeria

The study examined the interconnection of sustainable development and food security in South-West Nigeria, a geopolitical zone characterized by urban-rural disparities and environmental vulnerabilities. Based on a descriptive survey research design, 600 respondents in urban and rural areas supplied the requisite data for the study. Regression and correlation tests guided the study of the socioeconomic and environmental variables that determine household food security and the broader sustainable development results. The study findings establish that 68.5% of the households are food-insecure, and that the key reasons are the rising cost of food, inability of the household to use or own farmland, and post-harvest losses. The study found that land access, household income, education, and market closeness significantly predicted food security (R² = 0.41, p < 0.001). There were strong positive correlations of food security with sustainable development indicators, including household income (r = 0.65) and education (r = 0.58). The study findings establish the critical role of food security in sustaining sustainable development, and that policy must therefore adopt an integrated approach that ensures social and distributive justice through eradicating structural vulnerabilities in the region.