Intra-household roles and constraints in rice cropping systems in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study identified intra-household roles and constraints in rice cropping systems in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data from a sample of 68 respondents randomly selected from Amagu Oduma, Ezinesi Oduma, Uhueze Nenwe and Emudo Nenwe villages. Statistical analysis was accomplished by means of percentage and mean scores. Findings of the study showed that majority (60.3 percent) of the respondents were females and 77.9 percent engaged in farming as their major occupation. Majority (91.2 percent) of the rice farmers inherited their farmlands from their parents. The study further revealed that adult males played major roles in land acquisition, ridge/mound making and stumping while adult females were more engaged in weeding, processing, storage and marketing of the crop (rice). The study also revealed that the major factors that constrain rice production in the area were high cost of hired labour and lack of finance. This suggests the need to strengthen the existing government policy on agriculture through the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS), which is designed to boost bank lending to farmers.

International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(1) 2006: 1-9