Contribution of Market Gardening to Household Food Security in DOUM-DOUM Commune, Lake Province, Chad
Mahamat Mallah CHOUKOU *
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Moundou, Moundou, Chad.
Abakar Ali M'BODOU
Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Higher Teacher Training College of Bongor, Bongor, Chad.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objectives: Off-season market gardening is regarded as a means of diversifying diets and generating income. This study aimed to analyse the contribution of market gardening to household food security in DOUM-DOUM Commune, Lake Province.
Study Design: Cross-sectional quantitative survey.
Place and Duration of Study: DOUM-DOUM Commune, Lake Province, Chad, from November 2024 to April 2025.
Methodology: A quantitative survey was conducted among 60 market-gardening households, with 59 usable questionnaires, randomly selected from three purposively selected villages. A structured questionnaire collected sociodemographic, agricultural, and economic data. A multiple linear regression model identified the determinants of annual income from market gardening. Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS) and Food Consumption Scores (FCS) were calculated.
Results: Households were predominantly male-headed (94.9%), aged 31- 40 years (40.7%), and had primary education only (76.3%). Onion (27.1%) and tomato (22.0%) were the main crops. Market gardening was the primary source of income for 30.5% of households. Mean annual income from market gardening was 548,200 FCFA. The regression model was globally significant (F 14, 44) = 12.57; P < 0.001; adjusted R² = 0.74) and showed that cultivated area (β = 0.814; P < 0.001), fertilization (β = 0.128; P = 0.025), and irrigation investment (β = 0.141; P = 0.011) significantly increased income. Access to credit had a positive but only marginally significant effect (β = 0.118; P = 0.056). High-income market-gardening households had an HDDS of 9.2 versus 6.4 for low-income households and a reduced lean season of 1.8 months versus 4.2 months.
Conclusion: Market gardening effectively contributes to food security through daily self-consumption and monetary access to food. Improving access to land, fertilization and irrigation is a priority, while credit remains a secondary factor. These results argue for prioritizing interventions to sustainably strengthen food security in the Sahelo-lacustrine zone.
Keywords: Market gardening, food security, agricultural income, linear regression, DOUM-DOUM, Chad