ASSESSEMENT OF GENDER PARTICIPATION IN RICE PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed gender participation in rice production activities in Southeast, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to:examine the roles performed by men and women in rice production activities, ascertain the level of men and women participation and constraints faced by women rice farmers in South-East. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting a sample size of one-hundred and thirty-one (131) men and eighty-eight (88) women registered ADP women rice farmers for the study. Data were obtained with the help of structured questionnaire, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as percentages, means and Z-test analysis. The study revealed that Production roles performed by men included land cultivation (74.0%), bird scaring (72.3%), transportation of harvested paddy rice (64.5%), harvesting (64.1), clearing of farmland (62.3%), heaping/packaging of harvested paddy rice (61.7%), while women dominated in weeding (65.8%), application of fertilizer (51.2%) and planting (50.1%). The level of men participation in rice production was high with a grand mean score of 2.81, while women had a moderate level of participation with grand mean score of 2.33. Constraints like high cost of fertilizer/herbicide, pest and disease attacks, inadequate fund to start-of, inadequate credit facilities, unfavorable weather condition, high cost of labour, and scarcity of labour affected the production activities of men and women at high extent with grand mean score of  =2.83 (men) and  =2.99 (women). Z-test analysis with the mean value of 2.8089 (men) and 2.3309 (women) of 8.680*** at 0.05 alpha level affirmed that there was a statistical difference in the level of participation of men and women in rice production activities. The study concluded that the level of participation of men in rice production activities in the South-East was high while that of the women was relatively low. Therefore, it was recommended that both government and financial agencies should make loan and other credit facilities accessible to both men and women rice farmers in order to support their rice farming activities and productivity.