Off-Farm Economic Activities of Rural Women for Household Food Security in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study analysed the contribution of off-farm economic activities of rural women to household food security in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Specifically, this study identified offfarm activities with which rural women are engaged, and assessed their level of involvement in off-farm activities, assessed women’s expenditure on household needs, determined the relationship between respondents’ socio-economic characteristics and their off-farm activities, and identified women’s constraints to engage in off-farm economic activities. One-hundred and eighty rural women used for this study were selected through multi-stage sampling techniques. Structured interview schedule was used to elicit relevant information from the respondents. Frequency counts, percentages, and chi-square test were used to analyse the data collected. The mean age, monthly income, and household size of the rural women was 46 years, ₦8,879, and 7, respectively. Most of them (43.9%) had no formal education. Most rural women engaged in multiple off-farm economic activities including trading, food processing, tailoring, livestock rearing amongst others. The majority (82.8% and 72.8%) of the women contributes to provide food and cloth, respectively, for the household. Significant relationship exists between household size (X²=2.87; P≤0.01), access to extension (X²=1.98; P≤0.01), and access to credit (X²=1.73; P≤0.01) and women engagement in off-farm activities. Also, women’s contributions to household food security depend on a number of activities engaged in. Poor institutional support was the major constraint to engagement in rural off-farm economic activities. Extension agencies should design innovative ways (through training and re-training) to impact on the off-farm activities of women.

Keywords: Rural women, off-farm activities, food security, rural economy, Nigeria