Economics Of Yam Retail Business – Focus On Women Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Poverty alleviation, unemployment reduction, women empowerment and enhancing agricultural output are four – linked contemporary issues in Less Developed Countries (LDCS) where women stand out distinctly as the worse victims. Consequently, achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) calls for increased investigations into the economic activities of women. This study focuses on the characteristics of women entrepreneurs in retail business with particular attention to Yam, Nigerian staple food crop. The study employed a 22-item questionnaire to elicit information from 144 women Yam retailers selected from ten markets in Imo State of Nigeria. Through calculation of marketing costs and margin, the study succeeded in computing financial capital requirements and corresponding net profits for Yam retail business. The study further revealed the influence of literacy and marital status on women performance in trade and isolated illiteracy, lack of access to credit and poor infrastructure as major constraints of women entrepreneurs in retail business in the state.


JORIND Vol. 4 (2) 2006: pp. 22-27