Effect of Gender on farmers’ level of involvement in Arable crops production activities in Kwara State, Nigeria
Loading...
Files
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The importance of studying the role of gender in relation to arable crop production
activities in agrarian society is therefore quite consistent with the ongoing thinking
regarding the issue of gender consideration in food security issues which led to this study
.The research examined the effect of gender on farmers’ level of involvement in arable
crop production activities in Kwara State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was
employed in selecting 160 (80 male and 80 female) arable crop farmers drawn from the
study area. Data collected were gender disaggregated using frequency counts,
percentages and charts while correlation was used to make deduction from the study. The
findings revealed that about (48.8% and 33.6%) of male and female fell between 46-65
age brackets. Activities such as land preparation, selection and planting of cultivars, were
the common activities among male respondents while harvesting, processing and
marketing were the activities common to female respondents with male involving more in
all the activities. Insufficient fund (65% and 52%), pest and disease attack (63% and
65%), high cost of input (56% and 59%) were some of the highest constraints to arable
crop production common to both male and female respondents. Results of correlation
analysis revealed that there were significant relationship between male and female
respondents and their level of involvement in arable crop production activities and age
(r=0.545), education (r=0.432), farming experience (r=0.653) at P<0.05 level of
significance. The study concluded that male were more involved in arable crop production
activities than their female counterpart in the study area. The study therefore, recommend
that female farmers should be more encouraged to involve themselves if not fully but
moderately in all areas of arable crop production activities. The study therefore
recommended that government should design gender policies that could strike the balance
between male and female farmers with a view to encouraging more women to participate
in arable crop production activities in the state.