ABSTRACT

The study analyzed the utilization of Women-in-Agriculture programme

extension packages among women farmers in Abia State, Nigeria. Specifically, it

d-escribed socio-economic characteristics of women involved in WIA

programme, identified different WIA Programme technologies transferred to them

by Agricultural Development Programme (AI)P), ascertained diflrcnt methods

used by ADP in disseminating WIAP technologies to the farmers, ascertained

levels of adoption of these technologies by the women, ascertained the levels of

utilization of these technologies by women and identifled constraints to

utilization ol these technologies by WOITICI1 iii the study area. Purposive and multi-

stage random sampling techniques were used to select one hundred and twenty

(120) women farmers. Data for the study were collected through a structured

questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics such as: frequency counts,

mean scores and percentages and inferential statistics (Tobit regression and Z—test

analysis). The result showed that the mean age of women farmers was 42.8 years,

69.2% of them were married niean processing experience of 5.7 years,45.0%

acquired secondary education, farming experience ( 19.6years), mean farm

size of 1.lhectares, 80.8% had access to credit and visited by extension 2.2 times

in a month. The result further shows that dry season vegetable gardening, cassava

production and processing, cocoyam production and processing, soya bean

processing, storage and processing of melon seeds as well as preservation and

tomato processing were WIA technologies transferred to the women by ADP. The

result showed that farm visit/training, small plot adoption techniques (SPATs),

Management Training Plots (MTPs) and On-Farm Adaptive Research (OFAR)

were effective 'methods used by Agricultural Development Programme in

transferring WIA technologies to farmers in the study area. The result showed that

women farmers adopted and utilized ADP WIA teclmologies with adoption

indexes of 66% and 77.6% respectively for cassava production and processing,

dry season vegetable gardening, cocoyam production and processing and

processing and storage of melon seeds. The result of Tobit regression showed that

coefficients of age was positively signed at 5% level, coefficient of household

size was positively signed and significant at 10% level, farming experience, farm

size, access to credit and extension contacts were positive and highly significant

at 1% level of probability, as well as coefficient of occupational status which was

negatively signed and significant at 10% level of probability influenced women

farmers in the utilization of ADP'WIA technologies in the study area. The result

of Z-test analysis showed that there was significant difference between adoption

and utilization of ADP WIA technologies among farmers in the study area.

Illiteracy, domestic activities, non inclusion of women in leadership, non access to

land and insufficient data and gender discrimination were constraints to utilization

of ADP WIA technologies by women in the study area. Provisions of institutional

facilities to enable farmers have access to credit at low interest rates, reviewing

the Land Use Act of 1990 by the government and formations of cooperative

societies were recommended.