Level of Participation of Women in Cowpea Production in Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria

Salihu Abdullahi Abubakar¹, Abdulrahman Bello^2*, Binta Muhammed Manga¹, Maryam Bello Ali¹, Abdullahi Muazu¹ & Dalha Magaji¹

¹Department of Agricultural Technology, Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto State, Nigeria
²Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

Dr. Abdulrahman Bello, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

Keywords: Women; Cowpea; Production; Sokoto; Vigna unguiculata

Abstract

The study examined the level of participation of women in cowpea production in Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of women cowpea farmers in the study area, determine the level of income of the women in cowpea production, determine the factors influencing the participation of women in cowpea production and identify the constraints to cowpea production by the women. The study was carried out in Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select fifty (50) respondents across five villages in three districts of the Local Government Area. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were the analytical tools used to analyze the data collected. Results of the study showed that the women cowpea farmers were in their later stages of 41-50 years. Majority of them were married (62%), with household size of about 4-9 people and most of them (72%) have attempted one form of education or the other however, are small scale farmers with majority (68%) having farm sizes of 0.1-2.0 hectares. Their primary occupation is trading and farming. Their level of income was found to be low to moderate. Farm size and distance to nearest good road (significant at 1% and 5% level respectively) were the factors found to influence women participation in cowpea production. The women cowpea farmers were constrained by pest and diseases, high cost of pesticides and fertilizer, inadequate finance, high cost of labour and poor storage facilities. The study therefore, recommends that government should formulate policies to encourage women farmers, government should also provide incentives specifically to the women farmers like ready market and fixed prices for their outputs, improved cowpea varieties and other inputs should be made readily available and accessible to the women farmers at affordable prices, on time and in adequate quantities, extension service should also be intensified to enhance the women’s knowledge on the utilization of improved farming technologies.

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