GENDER ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF WOMEN

Background of the Study

The first and most important component of food security is the practice of environmentally sustainable food production. 68% of working women in the United States are farmers, agricultural laborers, or natural resource managers (Onyemobi 2000). By doing so, they make a contribution to the production of the family's agricultural sector, as well as to the preservation of the environment and the safety of food supplies for families. In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of attention paid to the involvement of women in agriculture in Nigeria; hence, the need of developing an appropriate extension service that is gender specific and targeted to women farmers cannot be stressed enough (Brown et al., 2001). This is in recognition of the fact that women play very significant roles in the agricultural production, processing, and utilization of Nigeria; however, they are constrained under the unified Extension System by socio-cultural barriers, as well as by the current approach, which relies almost exclusively on a network of contact farmers that are over 95% male farmers; little research is done on products such as fruits, vegetables, and small livestock, which are primarily the responsibility of women farmers (Nnadozie and Ibe 2000). The participation of women in extension work is crucial to the accomplishment of certain objectives, including a persistent decrease in poverty and hunger, greater food production, and food self-sufficiency, to name just a few. In Nigeria, the Agricultural Development Projects (ADP) of the various States of the Federation had made significant strides in the incorporation of gender in agricultural extension. These strides were made by modifying the ADP system in the middle of its implementation to provide for female farmers through the creation of Women-In-Agriculture (WIA) women in the department of Extension Services of the State ADPs with a gender focus (Oyebanji 1998; Onyibe 2001). The process of agricultural development is not only complicated but also difficult to accomplish. Women farmers in rural areas play an essential part in both the production of food and the maintenance of food security. They are responsible for between 60% and 90% of all marketing and account for 70% of agricultural employees, 80% of food producers, and 100% of those who process basic commodities (Fresco, 1998). Women make about forty percent of the world's total agricultural labor force. (UN 1986) In addition to their obligations in the home and the reproductive system, women are also active participants in agricultural pursuits and the processing of agricultural goods. As of 2008, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria said that women made up 75% of the country's agricultural population. These women served as farm managers and labor providers.

Statement of the Problem

They were interested in addressing the inequalities between man and woman in terms of the requirements and obligations they have. Gender equality is a major concern for women all over the world. In order to accomplish this goal in Nigeria, the government established the Women in Agricultural extension (WIA) programme by the federal ministry of agriculture and the World Bank and put it under the agricultural development programme (ADP). This was done so that they could assist women in gaining access to agricultural information and resources and lower the gender disparity level. This strategy also encouraged women to work in agriculture (WIA). As a result of this, the Agricultural development programme is confronted with significant obstacles posed by gender disparity, the primary of which is a lack of comprehension of the meaning of gender. When it comes to agricultural production, reproduction, distribution, and consumption, gender is a primary factor that acts as an organizer and controller of actions amongst individuals. Additionally, it refers to the functions and duties that, according to the cultural beliefs of a society, are assigned differently to men and women. The inability to comprehend gender may lead to gender blindness, which in turn exacerbates existing gender disparities. Despite the fact that women make up a significant fraction of the agricultural population, women's opportunities in agriculture are limited. According to Sahel, the education of involvement of women in agricultural production differs considerably from one Nigerian ethnic gender to another on account of factors like as religion, social belief, educational exposure, and so on (2014). In spite of the abundance of written material on the subject of gender equality, relatively little of it has concentrated on gender issues in agriculture and rural development in Nigeria, specifically the role of women.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The broad objectives of this is focused on gender issues in agriculture and rural development in Nigeria: the role of women. Other specific objective include:

1. Determine whether women plays any significant role in agricultural and rural development.
2. To assess the level of the level of women’s participation in agricultural activities Kaduna state.
3. To determine the importance of Women’s Involvement in agricultural activities.
4. To identify the factors influencing women’s involvement in agriculture and rural development.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study will be guided by the following questions;

1. Does women play any significant role in agricultural and rural development?
2. What is  the level of women’s participation in agricultural activities Kaduna state?
3. What are the importance of Women’s Involvement in agricultural activities?
4. What are the factors influencing women’s involvement in agriculture and rural development?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H01: Women plays a significant role in agricultural and rural development.

H02: The level of women’s participation in agricultural activities Kaduna state is low.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of women's roles in agricultural production cannot be overstated, thus the findings of this research will be beneficial to policymakers as they consider how to encourage more participation from women in this sector. In conclusion, the study will add empirically to the body of knowledge, and it will also act as a reference resource for students and academics who intend to do more research in a similar sector.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study borders on gender issues in agriculture and rural development in Nigeria: the role of women. The study is however delimited to Kaduna North Local Government Area.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This research project, like all human endeavors, had some challenges that threatened to derail the study's completion. One of the reasons is that the time allotted for this work was so limited that the researcher did not have enough time to complete the task thoroughly. During data collection, the researcher also had to put forth extra effort to understand the respondents' interview schedules, several of whom fell into the incomprehensible age group. Also, there were financial and transportation constraints to deal with. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, interview).

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Gender: Gender refers to the economic, social, political, and cultural attributes and opportunities and constraints associated with being female and male. In other words, gender relates to the socially and culturally constructed roles for men and women.

Gender Equity: This is the process of being fair to women and men. Usually, equity leads to equality. Gender equity therefore denotes the equivalence in life outcome for women and men recognizing their different needs and interest (. University of Ibadan Draft Gender policy (2011)

1.10 Organisations of the Study

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the  review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study,  sample size determination,  sample size, abnd selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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