Moderating effect of health-related behavior on the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and willingness to pay for safe and nutritious food among smallholder farmers in Southwest, Nigeria

Introduction Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face persistent challenges in accessing safe and nutritious food, yet the interplay between socioeconomic constraints and health-related behaviours (HRB) in shaping willingness to pay (WTP) remains underexplored. This study examines how socioeconomic characteristics and HRB jointly influence smallholder farmers’ WTP for safe and nutritious food in Southwest Nigeria. Grounded in Dual System Theory, the research integrates behavioural dispositions with economic decision-making models. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was employed, involving 294 respondents across Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states. Data were collected using structured questionnaires incorporating an adapted Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) and a Gabor-Granger-based WTP elicitation method. Analytical techniques included Kruskal-Wallis tests and ordinal logistic regression with interaction terms. Results Income emerged as the most significant predictor of WTP, with lower-income respondents showing negligible odds of paying premiums for food safety (Wald χ 2 = 87.969, p 0.001). While HRB alone did not significantly predict WTP (OR = 1.589, p = 0.210), it significantly moderated the effects of age (OR = 2.228, p 0.001) and education (OR = 0.251, p = 0.023), indicating that HRB can amplify or attenuate the influence of demographic characteristics. Larger household size was positively associated with WTP (OR = 1.245, p = 0.009). Discussion These results imply that while financial capacity remains central to food-related decisions, behavioural dispositions shape willingness to engage with food safety at a deeper level. This study extends Becker’s household production model by positioning HRB as both an independent and moderating factor in food safety demand. Findings support behaviour-sensitive strategies including: (1) targeted subsidies for households demonstrating strong HRB; (2) mobile-based food safety alert systems; and (3) experiential tools such as vendor-rating applications to enhance food safety access among nutritionally vulnerable smallholder populations.