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Rural women occupations: implication for conservation in Osun State
Abstract
This study examined the involvement of women in wildlife resources related occupations in Osun State, Nigeria. Wildlife conservation efforts have always been directed at men especially in the rural areas. This inadvertently leaves out women, a significant population that contributes to challenges in wildlife and forestry management.
Using structured and unstructured instruments, 115 women were interviewed in three LGAs (Ayedire, lfe South and Odo-Otin) of the state. Over 90% of them are engaged in forest related activities as their primary or secondary occupations. They were engaged in jobs common in most rural areas of the nation such as farming (56%), trading (50%), livestock productions (43%), collection of non-timber forest products and processing of palm products (23%) and selling of games (22%). They coned medicinal plants, chewing sticks and ropes/sponges and many were involved in fishing, killing of small games, using traps/snares and snails collection. The study concludes that these occupational engagements of rural Yoruba women do contribute to the human related problems facing conservation efforts.
It is recommended that policies that will directly include women in conservation activities should be formulated with the provision of rural jobs for them, some of which were suggested.
[JEXT Vol.3 2002: 42-46]
Using structured and unstructured instruments, 115 women were interviewed in three LGAs (Ayedire, lfe South and Odo-Otin) of the state. Over 90% of them are engaged in forest related activities as their primary or secondary occupations. They were engaged in jobs common in most rural areas of the nation such as farming (56%), trading (50%), livestock productions (43%), collection of non-timber forest products and processing of palm products (23%) and selling of games (22%). They coned medicinal plants, chewing sticks and ropes/sponges and many were involved in fishing, killing of small games, using traps/snares and snails collection. The study concludes that these occupational engagements of rural Yoruba women do contribute to the human related problems facing conservation efforts.
It is recommended that policies that will directly include women in conservation activities should be formulated with the provision of rural jobs for them, some of which were suggested.
[JEXT Vol.3 2002: 42-46]
