Welfare Status of Rural Women Agro-processors’ Participants in the Development Partnership in Higher Education Project in Osun and Oyo States, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of participation in Development Partnership in Higher Education (DELPHE) project on welfare status of rural women processors in Osun and Oyo states. Data were collected using structured questionnaire on respondents’ socio-economic characteristic, participation in the project activities, constraints faced in their processing activities and welfare status. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the two states for this study where the project was executed. Then stratified sampling technique was used to select respondents from participating communities to give a sample size of two hundred and sixteen (216) respondents from four and two local government areas from Osun and Oyo states respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results showed that mean age of respondents was 43.9±12, 63.4% had high level of participation, and lack of credit facilities (0.60) was indicated as the most severe constraint faced by respondents in their processing activities. The majority (83.3%) of respondents had high welfare status. Welfare status was significantly influenced by participation (r=0.424). The study recommends that non-governmental organizations should replicate other intervention programmes among rural women processors in other rural communities to ensure sustainable agricultural development.

Keywords: Participation in DELPHE, Welfare of Women agro-processors.