EXPLORING GENDER DISPARITIES IN PRODUCTIVE ASSETS AND THEIR IMPACT ON RICE FARMING IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the gender disparities in access to productive assets and their impact on the productivity of smallholder rice farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. Utilizing a sample of 269 rice farmers, randomly selected from six Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Benue State, data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test. The findings revealed significant gender disparities in access to key productive assets, including agricultural credit, improved rice varieties, and mechanization tools, with male farmers having greater access compared to their female counterparts. These disparities contribute to substantial productivity differentials, with male farmers demonstrating significantly higher productivity levels (mean of 10,031,961.33 kg) compared to female farmers (mean of 922,662.30 kg). The t-test results further confirm the statistical significance of these differences (p < 0.05). The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to enhance female farmers' access to productive resources and improve their agricultural productivity, and recommended that rice farmers who women should come together to form cooperative societies as this will help to pool resources, increase bargaining power, provide access to collective credit facilities, and facilitate bulk purchasing of inputs like seeds and fertilizers; women rice farmers should engage in advocacy to influence State and Local Government policies that promote gender equality in access to agricultural resources; women rice farmers could also collaborate with NGOs and development agencies that focus on women’s empowerment in agriculture.