GENDER ANALYSIS OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF SMALLHOLDER ARABLE CROP FARMERS IN SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The declining of soil fertility is a fundamental problem to agricultural growth and food production in Nigeria. In this regard, farmers have been involved in different soil fertility management practices to boost their productivity. The study therefore, investigated the involvement of the Male and female genders in soil management practices of arable crops in Kwara state. A structured interview schedule was used to elicit information from 622 arable crop farmers. The data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that mean age of male farmers was 49 years while that of female farmers was 45 years. 49.8% male and 42.7% female respectively had one form of formal education or the other. Mixed cropping (95.3%) was the most common soil fertility management practices among male farmers while fertilizer application (89.2%) was the most common among the female farmers. Also, a significant difference existed between male and female farmers’ level of involvement in soil fertility management practices (t=0.016, p≤0.05). The study concluded that male were more involved in soil fertility management practices than their female counterparts. Extension agents should intensify more efforts in soil fertility management delivery services to female farmers to enhance their production capacity.