GENDER PARTICIPATION IN URBAN AGRICULTURE IN IBADAN METROPOLIS OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Study was conducted to investigate gender participation in urban agricultural among crop farmers in Ibadan metropolis of Oyo State.  Simple random sampling technique was used to select one hundred and twenty (120) farmers in all while proportionate sampling was used to select 70 males, 50 females from four Local Government Areas (LGA) out of eleven (11) LGAs in Ibadan metropolis. Descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square analysis) was used to analyze the data collected. Results show that majority (70%) of the female and 37.1% of the male were between 26-47 years of age, 90% (male) and 70% (female) had one form of education or the other, and cultivated less than 2 acres of farm land.  The female respondents were more involved in marketing of agricultural products (78.8%) and processing (60.2%) while male respondents were more involved in land clearing (55.7%), planting (67.1%) and thinning (77.1%). Lack of credit facilities, lack of government support and lack of access to input were some factors affecting gender participation in Urban Agriculture (UA) according to respondents’ submission. Chi-square analysis revealed significant association between educational status at p<0.05 with participation of males in UA. It is recommended that government should come up with a policy to support UA so as to reduce the problem of food insecurity and hunger in the urban areas.