THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF ORON FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY, AKWA IBOM STATE

The agricultural sector has continued to be a main contributor to pro-poor growth, poverty reduction and rural development. Women have played key roles in the development of the rural communities through participation in agriculture. This descriptive research examined the role of women in agriculture in the development of Oron Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State. Women in Development (WID) theory was adopted by the researcher for the theoretical framework. The study was conducted in selected communities in Oron, Mbo, Okobo, UdungUko and Urue Offong/Oruko Local Government Areas. A total sample of 393 women selected through simple random sampling technique were used for the study. Questionnaire was used for data collection and gathered data were analysed descriptively using simple percentages and presented in tables. Findings of the study showed that women are more involved in agriculture than men in Oron Federal Constituency. Women contribute to the development of Oron Federal Constituency through food production, food exportation, social welfare intervention activities, and many factors like land ownership policies. Gender bias in agriculture, lack of access to grants or loan, lack of access to modern agricultural equipment and resources have impeded the pace of their productivity in Oron Federal Constituency. It was concluded that women contribute to the community development efforts in Oron Federal Constituency. Among others, the researcher recommended government agricultural intervention for women through provision of grants, loans and modern agricultural resources for the rural women in Oron Federal Constituency.