C.O. EGONMWAN

Urban agriculture (UA) has become an increasingly important livelihood, nutritional, and resilience strategy among households in Nigeria’s rapidly urbanizing cities. However, its uptake among educated professionals including university staff remains insufficiently documented. This study investigated the awareness, perception, and involvement in urban agriculture among academic and non-academic staff of the University of Benin, Nigeria, focusing on two contrasting faculties: Agriculture (agri culturally oriented) and Social Sciences (non-agriculturally oriented). A total of 74 respondents, representing 20% of the total staff, were selected using random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socioeconomic characteristics, awareness, perception, level of involvement, motivations, and challenges. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC), independent t-test, and logistic regression, with significance set at 5% (p < 0.05) and processed using SPSS Version 29. Findings show that UA participation cuts across diverse demographic groups but is dominated by middle-aged (mean = 45 years) and male staff (68.9%), most of whom are married (93.2%). Respondents were highly educated, with 50% holding BSc/HND, 27% MSc, and 16.2% PhD degrees, yet earned relatively modest monthly incomes ranging from ₦20,000 to ₦69,999, indicating that UA functions as an essential coping strategy within the university community. Most staff had worked for 11–15 years (55.4%), suggesting residential and occupational stability that supports UA engagement. Awareness of UA was moderately high (66.2%), with colleagues (55.4%) and social media (48.6%) serving as the primary information channels. However, formal exposure to agricultural training was almost absent only 5.4% had ever attended a UA workshop, and no respondent reported contact with extension agents. Institutional awareness was also low, with only 20.3% recognizing UA activities within the university