Relevance of women in agriculture programme in Oyo state, Nigeria

The role of women in agriculture and rural development is increasingly recognized both at international and national level. There is a growing awareness of the need to reach women farmers and to fully involve them in development programmes. This study analysed the relevance of women in agriculture programme to women farmers in the study area with the view of strengthening their subsistence agricultural production. The objectives of the study are to identify the socio-economic characteristics, the participation level in various activities under agricultural production, and to determine the constraints faced by women in participating in agricultural activities. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select ninety respondents for the study, and data collected were analysed using frequency distribution, percentages, ranking order and correlation coefficients. Most (35.6%) of the respondents were within the age range of 41 and 50 years and about 62% are married. Some (40%) had at least primary education and about 45% had between 6 and 10 members in their household. Most (64%) of the respondents were involved in farming as their primary occupation. The results of the findings revealed that Locust bean and cassava processing were the most relevant packages to women in the study area, and lack of access to land and other inputs such as agrochemicals and fertilizers were the major constraints to women participation in agricultural activities. The correlation analysis showed a positive and very significant relationship between age, household size and relevance of packages introduced to women farmers (age, r = 0.28, household size, r = 0.26; p = 0.01). In view of the importance attached to women's role in agriculture, this study therefore recommends that significant effort from sustained government assistance to women farmers is required through effective extension services to further emphasize the relevance of agricultural extension services and to increase their access to information, land resources, credit and subsidized inputs.