Abstract
This study assessed the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), jointly implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Federal Government of Nigeria, focusing on its effects on household food security, income diversification, and livelihood resilience in Benue State from 2014 to 2025. Addressing a key empirical gap, the research provides subnational evidence on the outcomes of donor-supported agricultural transformation in a socioeconomically vulnerable yet agriculturally strategic region. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was adopted, integrating quantitative data from 405 beneficiary producers, processors, and marketers across four local government areas with qualitative insights from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Food security outcomes were measured using standardised indicators, while income and diversification effects were estimated through advanced econometric and structural modelling techniques. The findings reveal statistically significant improvements across welfare indicators, including higher food availability, increased household income, improved dietary diversity, and greater livelihood diversification among programme participants compared to non-participants. Training, access to credit, and market participation were found to mediate resilience outcomes, underscoring the importance of institutional and capacity-building mechanisms. Qualitative evidence further highlighted transformation pathways related to skills development, financial inclusion, market integration, gender empowerment, and climate adaptation. Nonetheless, persistent challenges, including limited affordable credit, infrastructural deficits, delayed funding, and climate-related risks, continue to constrain long-term sustainability. Overall, the study concludes that well-designed value chain interventions can promote inclusive and resilient rural development when supported by strong governance, infrastructure investment, and adaptive, gendersensitive frameworks, offering relevant policy lessons for agricultural development across sub-Saharan Africa.