Sex-Based Barriers and Drivers of Access to Agricultural Resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study assessed sex-based barriers and drivers of access to agricultural resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 120 farmers (60 males and 60 females) were surveyed using structured questionnaires. Frequencies, means, standard deviation, t-tests, and logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Results revealed that male farmers had higher access to key resources such as land ($\bar{x}$ =3.61), credit ($\bar{x}$ =3.15), and extension services ($\bar{x}$ =3.18), compared to female farmers, who recorded lower access levels (land $\bar{x}$ =2.52; credit $\bar{x}$ =2.35). In terms of perceived constraints, male farmers cited inadequate finance ($\bar{x}$ =3.15) as a major limitation, while female farmers highlighted discriminatory social norms ($\bar{x}$ =3.20) and lack of access to credit ($\bar{x}$ =3.10). Socio-economic characteristics influencing access showed that education and cooperative membership significantly affected access for males (p=0.041 and p=0.012), while age and cooperative membership were significant for females (p=0.023 and p=0.008). The hypothesis confirmed a significant difference in overall access levels between male and female farmers (t=4.812, p=0.001). The study concludes that gender disparities persist in agricultural resource access. Strengthening women’s cooperative membership, reducing socio-cultural barriers, and improving access to land and finance are recommended to promote gender equity in agricultural development.

Keywords

sex-based disparities

access to agricultural resources

ebonyi state

Nigeria

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Funding

This work was supported without any funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

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Njoku, C. L., Ejike, O. S., Emehute, V. C., & Azuamairo G. C. (2025). Sex-Based Barriers and Drivers of Access to Agricultural Resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Agricultural Science and Food Processing, 2(3), 142–147. https://doi.org/10.62762/ASFP.2025.886018

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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Njoku, Chukwudi Loveday
AU  - Ejike, Onu Samson
AU  - Emehute, Victor Chidubem
AU  - Azuamairo, Gillian Chidozie
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/30
TI  - Sex-Based Barriers and Drivers of Access to Agricultural Resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
JO  - Agricultural Science and Food Processing
T2  - Agricultural Science and Food Processing
JF  - Agricultural Science and Food Processing
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
SP  - 142
EP  - 147
DO  - 10.62762/ASFP.2025.886018
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/ASFP.2025.886018
KW  - sex-based disparities
KW  - access to agricultural resources
KW  - ebonyi state
KW  - Nigeria
AB  - The study assessed sex-based barriers and drivers of access to agricultural resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 120 farmers (60 males and 60 females) were surveyed using structured questionnaires. Frequencies, means, standard deviation, t-tests, and logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Results revealed that male farmers had higher access to key resources such as land ($\bar{x}$ =3.61), credit ($\bar{x}$ =3.15), and extension services ($\bar{x}$ =3.18), compared to female farmers, who recorded lower access levels (land $\bar{x}$ =2.52; credit $\bar{x}$ =2.35). In terms of perceived constraints, male farmers cited inadequate finance ($\bar{x}$ =3.15) as a major limitation, while female farmers highlighted discriminatory social norms ($\bar{x}$ =3.20) and lack of access to credit ($\bar{x}$ =3.10). Socio-economic characteristics influencing access showed that education and cooperative membership significantly affected access for males (p=0.041 and p=0.012), while age and cooperative membership were significant for females (p=0.023 and p=0.008). The hypothesis confirmed a significant difference in overall access levels between male and female farmers (t=4.812, p=0.001). The study concludes that gender disparities persist in agricultural resource access. Strengthening women’s cooperative membership, reducing socio-cultural barriers, and improving access to land and finance are recommended to promote gender equity in agricultural development.
SN  - 3066-1579
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  -

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@article{Njoku2025SexBased,
  author = {Chukwudi Loveday Njoku and Onu Samson Ejike and Victor Chidubem Emehute and Gillian Chidozie Azuamairo},
  title = {Sex-Based Barriers and Drivers of Access to Agricultural Resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria},
  journal = {Agricultural Science and Food Processing},
  year = {2025},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {142-147},
  doi = {10.62762/ASFP.2025.886018},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/ASFP.2025.886018},
  abstract = {The study assessed sex-based barriers and drivers of access to agricultural resources in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 120 farmers (60 males and 60 females) were surveyed using structured questionnaires. Frequencies, means, standard deviation, t-tests, and logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Results revealed that male farmers had higher access to key resources such as land (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.61), credit (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.15), and extension services (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.18), compared to female farmers, who recorded lower access levels (land \$\bar{x}\$ =2.52; credit \$\bar{x}\$ =2.35). In terms of perceived constraints, male farmers cited inadequate finance (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.15) as a major limitation, while female farmers highlighted discriminatory social norms (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.20) and lack of access to credit (\$\bar{x}\$ =3.10). Socio-economic characteristics influencing access showed that education and cooperative membership significantly affected access for males (p=0.041 and p=0.012), while age and cooperative membership were significant for females (p=0.023 and p=0.008). The hypothesis confirmed a significant difference in overall access levels between male and female farmers (t=4.812, p=0.001). The study concludes that gender disparities persist in agricultural resource access. Strengthening women’s cooperative membership, reducing socio-cultural barriers, and improving access to land and finance are recommended to promote gender equity in agricultural development.},
  keywords = {sex-based disparities, access to agricultural resources, ebonyi state, Nigeria},
  issn = {3066-1579},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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