Abstract
The study was carried out to assess the differences in the productivity of grain legume farmers, based on gender in Benue State, Nigeria. A Sample size of 220 grain legume farmers comprising 110 male and 110 females was used. Data were collected with the use of a well structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, such as frequency, percentage and mean, as well as inferential statistics, such as t-test and total factor productivity. The results revealed that the mean age of female respondents was 38 years while that of male was 40 years. A larger proportion of the male and female respondents were married (82.7%, and 71.8%:, respectively).The result showed a mean household size of 7 persons for females and 8 persons for males. Also the average annual income was ₦218,309 for females and ₦258,285 for male grain legume farmers. Farming was seen as their major occupation with an average farming experience of 9 years for the females and 10 years for the males. An average farm size of 2.8 hectares for female respondents and 3.4 hectares for the males exists in the study area. Furthermore, result on productivity showed that the mean yield/ha of male respondents was higher (780.28) than the yield of female (696.85) respondents. The t-test result revealed that there was a significant difference in the yield of male and female grain legume farmers (t=1.968, P=0.050), and there was also a significant difference in the productivity of male and female farmers (t=1.648, P=0.041). The study therefore recommends that female farmers should be encouraged to acquire higher education and also female grain legume farmers should be given equal rights as regards productive factors like land.
Highlights
Gender inequality refers to uneven treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender
The study was carried out to assess the differences in the productivity of grain legume farmers, based on gender in Benue State, Nigeria
The results revealed that the mean age of female respondents was 38 years while that of male was 40 years
Summary
Gender inequality refers to uneven treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender It arises from differences in societal constructed gender roles at the same time, 2020, Vol 8, No 1 biologically all the way through chromosomes, brain make up and hormonal differences (Wood, 2005).It is probably a key factor in producing or exacerbating a wide range of social ills such as educational disadvantage, health inequalities, intergenerational immobility, and crime, and may undermine social cohesion. As an essential component of all agricultural systems, grain legumes (plants in the family fabaceae or leguminosae such as beans, pulses, oil seeds) called pulses are grown primarily for their food grain edible seeds These seeds are harvested matured and marketed dried to be used as food or feed and processed into various products. Small holders generally cannot afford to buy enough chemical nitrogen fertilizers, as a result the yields of their crops are very low
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