Gender Gap and Credit Use in Smallholder Agriculture in Nigeria
- October 23, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS Team
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue IX, November 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705
Gender Gap and Credit Use in Smallholder Agriculture in Nigeria
Olorunfemi Oladapo OGUNDELE1*, Muslihah Adepeju BADMUS2
1Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Nigeria
2National Institute of Horticultural Research, Ibadan-Nigeria
Corresponding Author*
Abstract: This study engaged National Bureau of Statistics 2015 Generalised Household wave 3 data was to examine the determinants of gender gap on credit access and loan size using Heckman two-stage selection model and the work was supported by African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Results of the analysis confirmed the existence of gender gap of 6 per cent in credit access in favour of male headed households and a significant gender gap of 529,000 Naira in average loan size. The coefficient of gender in the estimated Heckman model (0.696) indicated a gender gap biased against female headed households. Some measures of human capital like literacy rate, formal education and post primary education as well as measure of wealth such as ownership of livestock were significantly biased against female-headed households and these seriously constraints their access to and use of credit.
Key Words: Gender, Credit, Access, Smallholders, Households.
I. INTRODUCTION
The role of women in achieving sustainable agricultural growth is becoming increasingly recognized given their critical roles in agricultural production. In Nigeria, women contribute 70 per cent of agricultural work force (AfDB, 2015) yet; they have greater difficulty than men in accessing resources such as land, agricultural inputs and other financial services such as credit which can help in increasing their efficiency and productivity. For example, Oseni et al (2015) observed that women productivity was 28 per cent less than men in the North of Nigeria though no significant gender difference was found in the South. The observed gender differential in the North was traced to structural effects leading to constraint access to credit and other financial services. Against this backdrop, productivity enhancement and economic empowerment of women who are predominantly smallholder farmers have become a logical priority of agricultural policies and programmes in the Nigeria.
