Gender roles and livelihoods of cooperative farmers using new Tropical Manihot Selections cassava varieties

This study dealt with Gender roles and livelihoods of cooperative farmers regarding improvement of their socio-economic status by the adoption and use of new cassava varieties. Three research questions and one research hypothesis guided the study. Three states, one from each geopolitical zone in Southern Nigeria was purposively sampled and from them, 360 accessible cooperative farmers (males and females) were randomly sampled for the study. The study was a survey and a 91-item structured questionnaire (from which 14 items relating to the research work) validated by 13 experts in different areas of cassava development was used for data collection. The internal consistency was established using Cronbach Alpha. Three hundred and sixty copies of the instrument were administered on the respondents out of which 331 were completed and returned. Data were analysed using percentage, mean and t-test. The findings revealed that farmers now have a good knowledge on Tropical Manihot Selection (TMS), they agreed on diversifying their livelihoods with the adoption of TMS which have significantly increased their level of income and market access. Based on the findings, recommendations made include the need for regular radio and television programmes in local dialects to disseminate information on TMS, creating enabling environment for farmers to have easy access to production inputs among others.