Analysis of vulnerabilty and access to extension services for pastoralist women in northern Nigeria : a case study of Kwara State

Nigeria is an agrarian country with the northern region prone to droughts; despite this pastoralism is an important source of livelihood of the inhabitants. Due to scarcity of water and grazing land, pastoralists migrate to greener areas in search of pasture, leaving their families behind. As a result, women in pastoralist households engage in a variety of economic activities to supplement family incomes. This study investigates the economic dimensions of pastoralist women's livelihoods, their coping and adaptive strategies and the role of extension in supporting their livelihoods. The study was carried out in Kwara State, Nigeria M an area where pastoralists have settled. The research adopted a mixed methods approach, employing qualitative and quantitative research tools. 169 participants were randomly drawn using a multi-stage sampling procedure. From these participants, questionnaire surveys (63 women and 25 extension agents), focus group discussions (58 women), key informant and in-depth interviews (13 people), and daily activity profile charts (10 women) were used to elicit information. Gender analysis frameworks were also used to analyse the data. It was found that women process milk into cheese, and this serves as their major source of income. The study established that pastoralist women lack productive resources such as land, livestock, capital, and infrastructure. This predisposes them to environmental, time, physical and social vulnerabilities. Extension service is limited among pastoral communities due to marginalisation, inappropriate extension service approaches and models, and cultural challenges. The study recommends a demand-driven participatory approach of extension service provision and employment of female extensionists to address the problems of extension approaches and culture. The study concludes that adequate extension can enhance women's socio-economic empowerment.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Training needs of N-Power Agro-beneficiaries in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study assessed the training needs of N-Power Agro beneficiaries in Kwara State. Simple random sampling was used to select 216 respondents using a questionnaire to collect data while percentages, mean, standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze the data. Training of respondents was assessed using job/task and skill gap analysis. Results showed that rules and regulation governing the job (x̅ = 5.69), knowledge acquisition (x̅ =1.99), field practices (x̅ =1.70), record keeping (x̅ =1.69), and extension service delivery methods (x̅ =1.59) were the areas where training were needed. Extension service delivery methods (x̅ =3.17) was identified as the only gap which training could address. It was found that age (r=0.341), sex (r=0.095) and educational status (r=0.180) were favorable socioeconomic factors determining training needs of respondents at p≤0.05 level of significance. A significant gap exists in what the beneficiaries already know and what they now need to know as they have not been undergoing adequate capacity building training; hence there is a dire need for intensive training to cover the existing gaps for effective productivity of the N-agro beneficiaries in Kwara State