RURAL WOMEN FARMERS’ EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION: A PANACEA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
Rural Women Farmers, Empowerment, Access, Agricultural Information, Sustainable DevelopmentAbstract
In Nigeria, agriculture has been at a subsistence level without a record of any substantial breakthrough in term productivity increase in recent times compared to some few developing nations, despite its role in the nation’s food security. This scenario may continue to linger if the issue of cultural norms and gender inequality infringing on equality of access to agricultural empowerment is not adequately addressed by the government and stakeholders in the sector. The study on rural women farmers’ empowerment through access to agricultural information: A panacea for sustainable development in Benue State, Nigeria aims at investigating sources of agricultural empowerment information, access period to agricultural empowerment opportunities, types of accessible agricultural empowerment to women, organizers of the empowerment training and constraints in accessing agricultural empowerment opportunities by Benue rural women farmers. The survey research design was adopted and three hundred and fifty rural women were randomly sampled for the study. A questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The finding reveals family, friends, and radio as the main sources of information compare to agricultural extension agents officially saddled with the task of transferring agricultural information research institutes and universities to the grassroots farmers. The study further reveals that rural women are left in ignorance amidst plenty of agricultural information for lack of access due to cultural norms and gender disparities, despite their involvement in agriculture practices. The result uncovers the pain of the rural women farmers’ not being recognized despite their involvement in farming as a profession due to cultural norms and gender inequality. Also, the study finding agrees that occasionally agricultural extension agents organize general agricultural skills empowerment programs with biases, as it tends to favor the men farmers. Researchers recommend that documented policy should be formulated prohibiting inequality access to empowerment opportunities in sensitive sectors like agriculture. Also, suggested the restructuring of agricultural extension service deliveries to rural areas to reflect educational campaigns on cultures that are detrimental to sustainable agriculture and development.
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