Changes in the Intra-household Roles in Agriculture among Tiv Farming households in Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the changes in the household roles in agriculture among the Tiv farmers during the colonial and post-colonial period. Data were collected with interview schedule that was administered to 315 household heads who are aged 50years and above. The analytical tools used included descriptive statistics such as means with percentages and the student’s t-test. The findings reveals remarkable changes in the intra-household roles as men were more involved in the application of fertilizer (433% change) and product marketing (311% change) which were formerly women roles. The test on changes in the social organisation and farmers’ capital in agriculture shows a significant change (P<0.05) in communal cooperation between the colonial and post-colonial periods. Due to the fact that men are now also involved in the household activities which had earlier been known as female roles; it is recommended that extension agents should target both male and female clientele on technologies that involved their household management and household roles. 
Key words: Intra-household roles in agriculture, Agriculture in colonial and post-colonial era in Tiv