Evaluation of Constraints to Women Participation in Agricultural Grant Funded by SEEFOR in Delta and Rivers States, Nigeria

Abstract

The study evaluated the constraints to women participation in State Employment Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR) funded agricultural grant in Delta and Rivers States of Nigeria. It described the socio-economic characteristics of the women and evaluated the constraints faced in participating in the project.  A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 403 beneficiaries. Questionnaire and personal interviews were used to elicit data from the respondents. Descriptive statistical tools such as mean, percentage, Likert scale and inferential statistics such as independent t-test and Pearson product-moment correlation was used to present and analyse data collected. The results revealed that the mean age of the women participants were 45 and 48 years in Delta and Rivers States, respectively; 87.3% in Delta State and 71% in Rivers State were married; 64.3% and 73.3% in Delta and Rivers States had one form of education or the other.  The respondents had a mean household size of 6 and 5 persons in Delta and Rivers States, respectively; 91.6% in Delta and 79% in Rivers State had farming as a major occupation; 95% in Delta State and 47.5% in Rivers State had a small enterprise size.  The mean monthly income were N31,818.62 and N25,013.01 for Delta and Rivers States respectively. In Delta State, lack of land (=3.40), poor involvement of local people (=3.31) and insecurity (=3.07) while in Rivers State issue of theft (=3.35), youth restiveness (=3.00) and insecurity (=2.96) were found to be the most serious constraints encountered by the respondents. The hypothesis revealed there was a significant relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the participants and their level of participation in the project. The study concludes that the project has relatively affected the socio-economic status of women and community development in Delta State. Based on the findings it was recommended that the government, should collaborate with the local people and intensify efforts to address the issues of insecurity in the rural areas of Delta and Rivers States, which posed a major constraint to women participation in the project.