CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN TO HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN BOSSO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study is to determine the contribution of women and factors influencing their contribution to household food security in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger state. Simple random sampling technique was used to select eight (8) villages from the sixty (60) villages of the LGA and ten (10) respondents from each village bringing the total sample size to eighty (80) respondents. Primary data were obtained from the eighty respondents selected with the aid of structured questionnaire complemented by an interview. All the respondents in the study area were women. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as multiple regression and correlation analysis. Results showed that 82.9% of the respondents were aged from 21- 40 years, 25% of the respondents have small household members, 32.9% of the respondents realized one hundred thousand (100,000) naira and below as income, 43.4% of the respondents have contact with extension agents, 80.3% of the respondents have acquired land by inheritance. Relationship between income and expenditure of the respondents is positive at 1% level of significance. There was a significant relationship between the age, farm size, extension contact and women contribution to household food security; while other socio-economic factors show inverse relationship. Some of the constraints highlighted by the respondents hindering their contribution to household food security are lack of credit facilities (94.7%), storage facilities (63.2%), pest and disease problem (77.6%), non availability of water (44.7%) and land tenure problem (81.6%). Women contribution to household security is very vital, therefore there is need to enhance their production capacity through flexible programmes specifically targeted at them.