Agriculture may seem like a male-dominated industry from the outside, but it is women who practice agriculture more, especially rural women and by a wide margin. Nigerian women make up about 70% of the country’s agricultural workforce and also contribute to 70% of the country’s food production.

The contribution of women to the agricultural sector in Nigeria is largely under-recognized. According to a study carried out in 2014, some of the reasons for non-recognition are:

a. Male-dominated cultures, which place women in inferior positions;

b. Custom, taboos and sex-based division of labour, which keeps women subordinate to men;

c. The failure of economists to place value on unpaid women’s domestic production;

d. Uncertainty of women’s ability to articulate their problems and needs effectively;

e. The problem of the land tenure system and the inability of women to meet basic collateral security as bank requirements for loans intended for agricultural production.

HERE’S WHY WOMEN’S ROLE IN AGRICULTURE DESERVES BETTER RECOGNITION
CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMY
By being responsible for about 70% of the country’s food and agricultural produce, women’s contribution to the economy is crucial. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the agricultural sector accounts for 23.78% of the country’s GDP, which would not be possible without the input of women in the sector.

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE – REDUCTION OF POVERTY IN THE SOCIETY
When women are empowered, the level of poverty in the society is reduced, this is because...

Read more: https://babbangona.com/critical-role-of-women-in-scaling-the-nigerian-agricultural-sector/