Perceived effects of home management on agricultural activities of rural women in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the perceived effects of home management roles on rural women's agricultural activities in Imo State. The study  objectives were: identify various home management activities undertaken by rural women, ascertain the level of burden on women's involvement in home management and agricultural activities, identified perceived effects of home management burden on rural women,  ascertain perceived factors influencing home management burden on rural women, identify the coping strategies adopted by rural  women to curtail the effects of home management burden. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 240 rural women  from the three agricultural zones in Imo State. Data were collected using an interview schedule and analyzed with descriptive statistics.  Findings revealed that women played significant roles in harvesting (91.25%), transportation and selling of farm produce (95.41%).  Household activities such as caregiving (95.83%) and cooking (95.41%) contributed to home management burden. Perceived effects of  home management burden on rural women in Imo State were time constraints (x̄ = 3.6), low agricultural productivity (x̄ = 3.7), and fatigue  (x̄ =3.4). Perceived factors influencing the burden included inadequate income (x̄ = 3.58) and limited resources in meeting  household needs (x̄ = 3.67). Coping strategies adopted to curtail the effects of home management burdens were active support from  spouses (x̄ = 3.75) and use of modern implements (x̄ = 3.70). The study concludes that rural women experienced home management  burden. Targeted interventions such as labor-saving technologies and improved access to resources should be provided to enhance rural  women’s agricultural productivity in Imo State.