Capacity-Building Needs of Homemakers in Processing and Utilization of Plantain Products for Food Security in Delta State, Nigeria

Food insecurity remains a persistent challenge in many developing regions, including Nigeria, where inadequate processing skills and limited value addition often reduce the nutritional and economic benefits of agricultural produce such as plantain. In Delta State, homemakers play a key role in food processing and household nutrition, yet many lack the necessary capacity to effectively process and utilize plantain products for improved food security. This study therefore assessed the capacity-building needs of homemakers in processing and utilization of plantain products in Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a population of about 1,236,315 homemakers across 25 Local Government Areas. A sample of 384 respondents was selected using multistage sampling from five LGAs and ten markets, ensuring urban and rural representation. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire on plantain products such as flour, chips, puree, and biscuits. Analysis involved SPSS, using mean, standard deviation, and t-test at 0.05 significance level. A total of 309 valid responses were analyzed, giving an 84.5% return rate. The results showed that among 309 homemakers in Delta State, most were married (71.5%), with a majority having household sizes of 5–7 persons (47.9%). A large proportion (83.2%) had at least secondary education, while income levels were fairly distributed across categories. Findings on capacity-building needs revealed that all 17 items scored below the 2.50 benchmark, indicating that homemakers generally lacked adequate skills in processing and utilizing plantain products such as flour, chips, biscuit, and puree, and therefore require training in these areas. A significant difference was also found between young and old homemakers, with young respondents showing greater training needs. Further results showed that homemakers faced several challenges in plantain processing, including communication gaps, inadequate funding, poor government policies, lack of storage facilities, and limited technical know-how, with a high grand mean of 3.50 confirming agreement. However, no significant difference was found between rural and urban homemakers regarding these challenges. The study concluded that homemakers in Delta State lack essential skills for effective plantain processing and utilization, which limits their contribution to household food security and value addition.