Contributions of women and children to backyard farm labor in Ikeduru area of Imo state, Nigeria

The study analyzed the contributions of women and children to backyard farm labor in Ikeduru area of Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 80 randomly selected respondents in the study area with the aid of questionnaire and interview schedule. Data analysis was by the use of frequency, percentage and mean. Results from the study revealed that women 80% of the respondents involved in the study were married, and in their middle ages. Also, 65% had household size of between 6 and 10. Respondents practice backyard farming for both subsistence and commercial reasons. The major livestock kept by respondents include poultry, pigs and goats and the major livestock production activities engaged in were feeding, treatment and cleaning. Findings showed that women spent an average of 20.4 hours of labor work on six major agricultural activities. Findings showed that children were not willing to work on the farm and the children spent between 1 and 2 hours on the farm weekly which is grossly inadequate, as the bulk of the work will be left for the women. It is therefore suggested that enabling environment be created for young men to remain in the rural areas so that they will be available for farm labor. Children should also be encouraged to help their mothers on the farm. Keywords: Women; children; backyard farm labor; Nigeria International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 2 (3) 2006: pp. 189-192