Barracks women and the Nigerian Economy: a study of society and food security, 1905 – 1999

Abstract

Over the years, the challenges of food security have been of great concern to governments, international organisations and well-meaning individuals all over the world. Yet, food production has not expanded to meet the increase in human population around the world, especially in developing countries, and the result has been food shortages and hunger in some regions. This has been the experience of Nigeria, especially since the late 1970s. The involvement of barracks women in food production and food security in Nigeria has been overlooked in major debates and empowerment programmes aimed at supporting female farmers and small and medium-scale industries in the country. This article posits that not many people believe that barracks women were active in the formal and informal sectors of the Nigerian economy in the colonial and postindependence periods. The study interrogates the gender division of labour in the barracks system and its economies. It establishes the fact that barracks women were not only involved in the Nigerian economy but also contributed to the food security of the nation. Using mainly oral sources, archival material and literature on women’s social and economic activities, the work demonstrates that barracks women have made impressive contribution to the Nigerian economy over the years, albeit from the periphery. It concludes that the government needs to pay focused attention to the economic activities of barracks women and give them needed support for them to play a greater role in Nigeria’s economic development.

Keywords: Food security, barracks women, informal sector, economic development