Training and Women Participation in Broiler Production in Plateau State.

This study was carried out to access the training need of women farmers that are into broiler production in Plateau State, Nigeria. One hundred and fifty women farmers that are involved in broiler production were through a multistage selection process, used in the study from the three senatorial zones of the state. A structured questionnaire was designed to elicit responses from them. The data obtained were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and regression analysis. The results shows that 48.7% of them are within the ages of 41-50 years, 66.0% are married with 61.3% having more than secondary level education. The result also shows that 63.3% have household size of 1-5 persons with an average flock size of about 220. Majority of them belong to cooperative groups with 66.7% of them not having participated in any broiler training. The result similarly shows that marital status and educational level positively and significantly (p<0.01) influence the participation in training, while age significantly and negatively influence participation in training. The major challenges identified by the respondents are poor access to financial support, pricing and market for mature broilers. Others are lack of training and exploitative tendencies of middle men. This study concludes that women broiler farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria are small scale farmers that are adequately educated with the relevant years of experience. It is recommended that regular trainings be organized for the farmers, provide access to financial support; which may encourage younger women to get involve in broiler production.