Gender differentials in accessing digital financial products and services among rice farmers in Ivo Local Government Area Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined gender differentials in accessing digital finance products and services among rice farmers in Ivo Local Government  Area Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The study relied basically on primary data collected with the aid of questionnaires from fifty (50) male and female rice farmers respectively making a total of one hundred (100) rice farmers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and  z-test. The study shows that 52% and 50% of male and female rice farmers respectively were married, with 32% and 50% male and  female respectively finished secondary school. About 50% and 56% of male and female respectively engaged in rice farming on fulltime.  Majority (74%) of female used micro-finance as source of digital financial products and services (DFPS) while 54% of male used  commercial as source of DFPS. The Z-test (p<0.462) result shows that there is no significant difference between the number of DFPS  accessed by both gender. The major challenges both gender rice farmers experienced in accessing DFPS include low interest rate on  savings, high-rate bank charges, high rate of internet fraud in digital finance among others. The study therefore, recommends that  banking sector should efficiently and properly manage customers’ transaction; farmers should avoid giving their cell phones to  strangers; CBN should also develop a better bank website management that could be employed in order to reduce fraud activities on  customer’s account; and commercial banks should ensure that money is always available on the ATM to reduce the problems of long  queue in the machine.