Research Article
CONSTRAINTS TO WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN VEGETABLE FARMING IN WUDIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KANO STATE, NIGERIA
1 1Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State
2 2Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State
Abstract
This study analyzes the constraints to women participation in vegetable farming in Wudil Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: identify the types of vegetables produced, and examine the constraints affecting their participation in the vegetable farming. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 80 women vegetable farmers for the study. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics using frequencies and percentages. The result of the study disclosed that mean age was 35.6 years, and also (2.06%) are married with an average household size of 5 persons. However, mean farming experience was 8 years with most (68.7%) of the respondents without access to credit. The result further shows that Major vegetables they produce are Pepper (36.3%), tomatoes (31.3%). While the results revealed that major constraints affecting their participations are: lack of capital (90.0%), high cost of inputs (81.0%), and pest and disease (73.0%). The study concludes that while women are active participants, their productivity is constrained by a combination of financial, technical, and institutional challenges. Consequently, it is recommended that government and development agencies should facilitate accessible credit to leverage its strong positive influence, strengthen gender-sensitive extension services to build on the significant benefit of advisory contact, and subsidize farm inputs to mitigate the critical constraint of high costs. These interventions are essential to enhance women's participation, improve productivity, and promote sustainable livelihoods in the study area.
Keywords: Constraints, Women, Vegetables, Participation and Wudil Local Government Area
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