WOMEN’S INVOLVEMENT IN CASSAVA PROCESSING IN IJEBU ODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Women play major responsibilities in meeting the challenges of agricultural production and development in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. The study assessed women’s involvement in cassava processing in Ijebu Ode Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria. Two stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 women cassava processors.  Data were obtained with the aid of interview schedule and subjected to frequency counts, percentage means and standard deviation. Results showed that mean age of the women cassava processors was 42.66±11.76 years, majority (80%) were married and had mean household size of 5 persons. The mean of cassava processing experience was 12.37±7.59 years. Majority (67.5%) engaged in cassava processing for commercial reasons. Majority (71.7%) had no access to credit. Majority (62.50%) of the women cassava processors were at a medium level of involvement but their processing activities were majorly constrained by inadequate capital (92.5%), poor market situation (82.5%), high cost of transportation of processed cassava (78.3%), poor access to credit (65.8%), high cost of processing materials (61.7%), inadequate extension staff visitation (56.7%), high cost of labor (55.0%), and preoccupation with house chores (53.3%). The study concluded that the women cassava processors in the study area engaged in cassava processing at a medium level and recommended that governmental and non-governmental agencies should grant the women cassava processors access to credit so as to improve their cassava processing activities. Also, governmental and non-governmental agricultural extension agencies/agents should improve visitation to the women cassava processors so as to intimate them with improved/adequate cassava processing materials/ technologies.