diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index f352a1340..333b8f62f 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ linux-2.6 (3.2.1-2) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * Update Vcs-Browser URL for the switch to ViewVC
   * Point Vcs-{Svn,Browser} at trunk branch, since the sid branch does
     not always exist
+  * Build linux-libc-dev without multiarch if dpkg does not support it,
+    to support backports
 
  -- Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>  Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:42:57 +0000
 
diff --git a/debian/rules.real b/debian/rules.real
index 87cf873db..1ece35e09 100644
--- a/debian/rules.real
+++ b/debian/rules.real
@@ -296,9 +296,14 @@ install-libc-dev_$(ARCH):
 	rm -rf $(OUT_DIR)/include/drm $(OUT_DIR)/include/scsi
 	find $(OUT_DIR)/include \( -name .install -o -name ..install.cmd \) -execdir rm {} +
 
+ifneq (,$(DEB_HOST_MULTIARCH))
 	# Move include/asm to arch-specific directory
 	mkdir -p $(OUT_DIR)/include/$(DEB_HOST_MULTIARCH)
 	mv $(OUT_DIR)/include/asm $(OUT_DIR)/include/$(DEB_HOST_MULTIARCH)/
+	echo linux-libc-dev:Multi-Arch=same >>debian/$(PACKAGE_NAME).substvars
+else
+	echo linux-libc-dev:Multi-Arch= >>debian/$(PACKAGE_NAME).substvars
+endif
 	
 	+$(MAKE_SELF) install-base
 
diff --git a/debian/templates/control.libc-dev.in b/debian/templates/control.libc-dev.in
index 68b9ce83d..542f9f03b 100644
--- a/debian/templates/control.libc-dev.in
+++ b/debian/templates/control.libc-dev.in
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Depends: ${misc:Depends}
 Provides: linux-kernel-headers
 Replaces: linux-kernel-headers
 Conflicts: linux-kernel-headers
-Multi-Arch: same
+Multi-Arch: ${linux-libc-dev:Multi-Arch}
 Description: Linux support headers for userspace development
  This package provides userspaces headers from the Linux kernel.  These headers
  are used by the installed headers for GNU glibc and other system libraries.