Women's Access and Rights to Land and implications for Food Security in Ondo State, Nigeria

One of the strategies to boost women's production in agriculture is through access to productive resources. The study investigated the implications of women’s access and rights to land on household’s food security in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design, using primary data. A multistage random sampling procedure was used to select 120 respondents from Akure North and Akure South Local Government Areas of Ondo State. Descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages and mean) and inferential statistics (Chisquare and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, PPMC) were used in analysis. The findings of the study showed that most of the respondents were relatively young with a mean age of 45 years. A high proportion (80%) of the respondents were literate, most of which were married (73.63%) with a moderate family size of five persons per household and were involved in all the religious practices in the area. Although (80%) of the respondents had access and rights to land, which they acquire mostly through inheritance, the farmlands of most (70%) was less than one hectare, with an average annual income below ₦100,000 per annum. It is perceived that access to land would enhance early crop planting, crop diversification, food security and improve women’s livelihood. Also, access to land positively affected the crops planted, food availability but have no effect on food security and income. The study recommends increase in farm size, engagement in value addition and training programs to improve food security and income of women farmers in the area.