WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN VALUE ADDITION TO GROUNDNUT (Arachis Hypogaea) IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

The study assessed participation in groundnut value addition among women in Kwara State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 102 respondents, data was collected using structured interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings showed mean age of the women to be 42.2 years, formal education was 6.2 and income realized per production was N50,000.00. Participation of women in groundnut value addition were prevalent in groundnut cake (x̄ = 3.05), roasted groundnut (x̄ = 2.83), and groundnut ball (x̄ = 2.48), Participation in groundnut value addition is constrained by poor access to capital, poor extension service delivery, and high cost of input, Correlation analysis indicated that age r= -0.230: p= 0.030). household size r= 0.341; p=0.042), processing experience r = 0.122; p=0.034, income r= 0.176 p= 0.019). value-added products r= 0.143; p=0.045 had positive and significant effect on level of participation in groundnut value addition. The study confirms that level of women participation in groundnut value chain was high with low income realized and therefore recommended that in order to ensure food security in society, policymakers must consider value addition hitches in addition to production and also concerns women should have access to better extension services and financial support from government and relevant stakeholders.