Research Article

Need Assessment: Overview from Women Farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria

Obiora C. J.

Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

INTRODUCTION

The agricultural sector plays an important role through its impact on overall economic growth, households’ income generation and food security. As one of the oldest economic activities in the world, it gainfully employs over 70 percent of the worlds’ population. Agriculture is the main source of income for rural households in developing countries and also the main occupation of women (Chayal et al, 2010). Worldwide, 72 percent of all employed women and 90 percent of all rural women work in agriculture (http://www.greenfacts.org/en/agriculture-iaastd/figtableboxes/figure-sr-wa3.htm). Women farmers grow more than half of all the food in developing countries and up to 80 percent in parts of Africa, generally in the form of small-scale crops for household consumption (Mutone-Smith, 2010). They are responsible for about 75 percent of total house food production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 65 percent in Asia and 45 percent in Latin America (http://www.greenfacts.org/en/agriculture-iaastd/figtableboxes/figure-sr-wa3.htm; Chayal et al. (2010).

Women constitute nearly 70 percent of the world`s poor and 65 percent of the world`s illiterate (This Day Newspaper, 2010). In developing countries, majority of the women are illiterate, unskilled, do not have equal access on education, property, information and credit. Although African women produce 80 to 90 percent of all food consumed by their families and comprise over 70 percent of the agricultural labour force, they receive less than one per cent of the total credit available to agriculture (Interactive Population Centre, nd). They play very important roles in agriculture as they plant, produce, procure and prepare most of the worlds’ food. Women participation in agriculture covers all facets- production, processing, storage, marketing and also ensuring health and nutrition of the farm family.

Presently, in Nigeria, the government has embarked on Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) which among other things aims at making Nigeria food secured. To achieve the aims of the on-going ATA, it behoves the government to assess the needs of women who form the bulk of food producers.

Need assessment is defined as the process of identifying and measuring areas for improvement in a target audience and determining the methods to achieve improvement (Coverstone, nd). Mc Caslin and Tibezinda (1997) defined it as a systematic process for establishing priorities and making decisions regarding programme planning, development and operation. The women farmers in Anambra State like their counterpart world over are actively involved in agricultural production, processing, storage, marketing etc. Consequently, the deep and active involvement of these women in all facets of agriculture makes the assessment of their needs a worthwhile exercise. The result of this need assessment will help to fix priorities right when taking decisions and planning programmes targeted at women in the on-going ATA. Thus, the basic questions that need to be asked are –What are the agricultural activities of these women? What are their agricultural needs? The study specifically aims at:

1.   describing the socio-economic profile of the women farmers

2.   identifying the agricultural related needs of the women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was carried out in Anambra State, Nigeria. Agriculturally, the State is delineated into four (4) zones namely; Aguata, Anambra, Awka and Onitsha. The target population for the study was all the women farmers in the State. Aguata and Anambra zones were purposively selected for the study because of their active involvement in farming. Aguata zone is made up of six (6) extension blocks and forty-five (45) circles while Anambra zone has four (4) extension blocks and forty-five (45) circles. Simple random sampling was used to select two (2) blocks and six (6) circles from each of the two zones. Ten (10) women farmers were randomly selected from each circle. Hence, a total sample size of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents was used for the study. Interview schedule was used for data collection while focus group discussion (FGD) was employed for detailed clarification on data collected from interview. The interview schedule was divided into two sections based on the specific objectives of the study. Section 1 sought information on the socio-economic profile of the respondents. Information on the age, marital status, educational level, family size, farm size and farming experience was examined.

Age: respondents gave their actual ages in years. Marital status: nominal values of 1, 2, 3; and 4 were assigned to different category - single, married, widowed and divorced respectively. Educational level: different categories of educational level were scored as follows: No formal education=1, Primary school attempted/completed=2, Secondary school attempted/completed=3, Tertiary education =4. Family size: respondents were asked to put in the actual number of people in the house. Farm size: respondents were asked to evaluate all their farm land as follows: less than 1 hectare, 1 hectare- 2 hectares, more than 2 hectares. Farming experience: the respondents gave the actual number of years they have spent farming. Crops and animals reared: respondents were asked to make a list of crops and animals they reared. Storage and processing activities: they were asked to list storage and processing activities they were involved in. Agricultural marketing: the respondents were asked if they were engaged in agricultural marketing or not.

Section 2 sought information on the agricultural needs of the respondents. The respondents were asked to respond to a list of needs using a three-point Likert-type scale of “needed to very large extent (3)”, needed to very little extent (2)” and “not needed at all (1)”. The mean value of 2.0 was used to determine the needs. Variables that have a mean value of 2.0 and above were considered as their agricultural needs whereas those below 2.0 were not. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean score.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3. 1. Socio-economic profile of the women farmers

Table 1 shows that majority (34.0%) of the respondents were within the age range of 40-49 years. About 22.0% were between 30-39 years, 19.0% each was between age ranges of 50-59 and 60-69 years while only 6.0% were in the range of 70 years and above. The mean age was 45.7 years. This shows that the farmers were still within productive age. Since they are still within productive age, any programme designed towards achieving the ATA will be beneficial to them since they still have many more years to do farming work. This finding also agrees with the finding of Obiora and Onwubuya (2011) where majority of the farmers were observed to be within their forties.

Table 1 also shows that majority (88.0%) of respondents were married while very few (12%) were widowed. This agrees with the findings of Emodi (2010) where majority of the farmers were also reported to be married. The majority being married implied that they will a lot of needs regarding both their families and their farm work.

The majority (36.0%) of the respondents attempted/completed secondary school, about 34.0% attempted/completed primary school, 14.6% had tertiary education while 16.0% had no formal education (Table 1). These respondents could be described as been fairly literate. Adesina and Baidu-forson, (1995); Sheikh, Mahmmod, Bashir and Kashif (2006) noted that high literacy level makes adoption in the agricultural sector high. This could therefore be an advantage as it could enhance level of adoption of agricultural innovations.

Entries in Table 1 show that majority (61.0%) of the farmers had a household of between 4-6 persons. Twenty two (22) percent had 1-3 persons whereas the rest had a household size of 7-9 persons. The mean household size was 5 persons. This indicates a relatively large household size. Large household sizes would naturally be assumed to mean high family labour. It could also mean more mouths to be fed and the need to address food insecurity. Hopefully, if the needs of the women are attended to, food insecurity would have been tackled.

Entries in Table 1 show that 12.0% of the respondents cultivated less than 1 hectare of farm land, majority (60.0%) of the respondents cultivated between 1-2 hectares, while 28.0% cultivated above 2 hectares. This shows that these farmers are indeed smallholder farmers and possibly could be facing lack of land as one of their agricultural problems. This finding agrees with other studies like that of Miguel, (2010) that concluded that majority of the farmers in Africa are smallholder farmers and they contribute largely to food supply.

Entries in Table 1 show that majority (45.0%) of the respondents have been in farming business for a period of between 10-19 years. It also shows that 20.0% have farmed for less than 10 years, 25.0% for between 20-29 years while 10.0% have farmed for 30 years and above. The mean farming experience stands at 18.5 years. The result shows that the respondents have stayed in farming business for almost two decades. Many years of farming experience could imply that these respondents could have designed improvised ways of addressing their needs.

Majority of the respondents (80.0%) each grew cassava and maize, 50.0% each grew yam, melon, cocoyam and varieties of vegetable (Table 1). The Table further shows that a good majority (85.0%) reared goats while 65.0% reared sheep, 75.5%, and 6.0% reared poultry and cattle respectively. This shows that the respondents were involved in growing cassava and maize and rearing of goats whereas cattle production was uncommon among them.

Majority (70.0%) of the respondents were involved in oil palm processing and storage, 65.0% in cassava processing and storage, 40.0% each in melon and maize processing and storage (Table 1).

About 65.0% of the women were involved in marketing of agricultural products while 35.0% were not (Table 1). This result implies that agriculture is a major source of employment for the women.

Table 1: Distribution of respondents based on socio-economic profile (n=120)

              *Multiple responses

             Source: Field survey, 2013.

3.2 Agricultural needs of the women farmers

Entries in Table 2 showcase the agricultural related needs of the respondents thus: information on how to adapt to climate change (M=3.4), information on how to mitigate climate change (M=3.2), improved extension services (M=3.0), metrological information (M=3.0), timely distribution of fertilizer (M=3.0), improved crop varieties (M=3.1), improved animal breeds (M=2.9), easy access and interest-free loans (M=2.9), subsidized farm inputs (M=2.9), adequate marketing information (M=2.9), easier access to productive resources (M=2.9), improved storage facilities (M=2.8), improved processing facilities (M=2.8), subsidized ICT facilities e.g cell phones, radio etc (M=2.6), inclusion in the planning of agric developmental programme (M=2.6), health and nutrition information (M=2.4), hiring centres for machines and implements (M=2.2), improved feeder roads (M=2.2), adult education centres (M=2.2), skill acquisition centers (M=2.2).

From Table 2, it is obvious that the women had need for a lot of things and if these needs are attended then it can go a long way in actualizing the vision of ATA. For instance, one of the visions of the ATA is to make Nigeria food secured; climate change have been identified as one of the threats to agricultural production. If information on climate change adaptation and mitigation is made available for the women, it could help them overcome the challenges posed by climate change. In the same vein, if metrological information are provided for the women, it will help them know when to produce, harvest etc.

The women had the need for improved agricultural extension services. The need for agricultural extension services in agricultural production cannot be over emphasized. It then behoves the Agricultural Development Programme of Anambra State to come up with strategies on meeting the extension needs of these respondents.

The women also stressed the need for both improved animal breeds and crop varieties. If ATA will be a success, there is need for research institutions in the country to come up with improved crop/animal that can withstand the challenges posed by climate change.

The Table also emphasized the need for easy access to loan and interest-free loans. Lack of finance can restrict one from embarking on a project one considers profitable. If the government and financial institutions will provide loans and introduce subsidies, this would reverse the trend of low productivity among the respondents.

The Table equally shows that the respondents needed improved processing and storage facilities. If this need is met, post harvest losses could be minimized and consequently lead to food security; also improved processing facilities could help in value addition and in creating of farm job opportunities for the women. 

The need for ICT facilities was also in the list of the needs of the women. The importance of ICT facilities in the spread of information cannot be overemphasized. ICT facilities like cell phone, radio etc will help the women access relevant and timely information about their production. In the on-going ATA, information on fertilizer availability and distribution is sent to farmers via cell phone. For such information to get to the right targeted audience there is need to subsidize some of these ICT facilities so that these women can easily access them.

Table 2: Mean distribution of respondents based on the needs of the farmers (n=120)

                            Mean value of ≥2.0 was used to determine the needs

                            Source: Field survey, 2013.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Need assessment is a systematic process for establishing priorities and making decisions regarding programme planning, development and operation. The on-going ATA in Nigeria among other things aims at making Nigeria food secured. The achievement of this mission depends on how the needs of the various stakeholders are met.

The study shows that the women need information about climate change adaptation and mitigation, meteorological information, improved extension services, subsidized ICT facilities among others.

It is recommended that ADP in the State should strategize to meet these agricultural needs of the respondents to enable them do their farming work with less stress.

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