ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN CASSAVA FARMING IN ADO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The study investigated the assessment of the roles of women in cassava farming in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State, with the specific objectives of describing the socio-economic characteristics of women cassava farmers: describe the role of women in cassava farming; examine the socio-economic contribution of women’s involvement in cassava farming to their households and the local economy, and identify the challenges faced by cassava women farmers in the study area. Primary data were collected with the use of a well-structured questionnaire from a systematically selected 102 women that involve in cassava farming within Ado-Ekiti local government. The data was analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and regression analysis. Results obtained showed that 47.70+21.6, 70.6% of the respondent were the women involved in cassava farming, 87.3% were married, the respondent had no formal education, the mean household size was 76.5+14.2, 39.2% of the respondent’s access land through renting/leasing. The result also reveal the role women plays in cassava farming where 72.5% of women are involved in planting, highlighting their crucial role in establishing cassava farms. Socioeconomic contributions of women involved in cassava production to their households and the local economy was disclosed where the result revealed a consistently high level of contribution across various indicators, underscoring the significant role women play in this agricultural sector. Access to information/training on improved cassava farming methods with a mean and std, dev (2.62 +0.54) was reported as a major challenge, indicating a critical gap in knowledge dissemination and skill development among women farmers. While women farmers in the study area face a spectrum of challenges in cassava farming, the most pressing issues revolving around knowledge gaps and crop protection, which are regarded as major challenges, and minor challenges. Addressing these challenges will be instrumental in fostering greater and more effective involvement of women in cassava production, thereby contributing to food security and economic empowerment in the study area.