Women in Agricultural Production in Nigeria: Prospects and Key Challenges

The study centered on women in agricultural production in Nigeria: Prospects and key challenges.
Women’s contributions to agricultural production vary from one region to another and are changing
rapidly in many parts of the world where economic and social forces are transforming the agricultural
sector. They perform farm operations thereby contributing a lot to improving the economic and social
status of their families as well as accelerating the pace of rural development. Women are playing
important roles in agriculture with a wide range of activities which include production, harvesting,
transporting, storing, processing, packaging and marketing of the farm produce. Despite the
significant roles played by women in agricultural production, processing and marketing in Nigeria, they
have more or less been relegated to playing a secondary role in farm decision-making. Women as the
pillar of food security have minimal control over access to resources such as land, farm inputs such as
improved seeds, fertilizer, credit facilities and new techniques of agricultural production. In Nigeria,
women very rarely own land despite their great involvement in agriculture which has traditionally
made it difficult for them to obtain loans and credit facilities from financial institutions. Productive
resources such as land, capital, farm inputs like fertilizer, chemicals, seeds and other improved
planting materials are necessary in agriculture and should be provided for the women at subsidized
rate. It is recommended that women farmers should be encouraged to form groups or cooperatives by
Women in Agriculture Program of ADP and extension agents to enable them pool their resources
together in accessing loans and credit facilities for increased agricultural production.