Factors Influencing Women Farmers Participation in Extension Activities in Savelugu/Nanton And Tamale Districts Northern Region Ghana

ABSTRACT

 The important contribution of Women in the Northern Region of Ghana to Agricultural Production, processing and marketing cannot be overlooked. Available data and personal observation show that women do most of the work on the farm. Women in direct food production either help their husbands on the farm or are themselves owners of farms. Farm activities (such as planting, weeding, fertilizer application, threshing and storage) are done by women. In addition, they are responsible for the time -consuming tasks associated with preservation and processing of farm produce. This therefore, calls for the delivery of appropriate extension messages to women based on their needs as a result of the roles they perform but this is not the case. Women are often marginalised by extension agents in the Northern Region during extension delivery. The study was therefore conducted to find out factors influencing women farmers’ participation in extension activities (attendance to meetings, field days, excursions, home visits, farm visits, demonstrations). The survey methipd was employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The target population of the study included all women farmers and extension agents in vi Savelugu/Nanton and Tamale districts of the Northern Region of Ghana. A total sample size of ninety-six women and sixteen extension agents were selected using random sampling technique. Primary and secondary data were collected for the study. Instruments used in collecting primary data were a self-administered questionnaire for field extension agents, and interview schedule for farmers. Secondary data was collected from annual reports and annual programme of work of the two districts, Regional WIAD office, and Regional Agricultural Extension Office as well as policy documents obtained from the headquarters of the Department of Agricultural Extension Services. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) The findings of the survey revealed that, women contribute immensely towards agricultural production in the study area by engaging in the production of food crops, cash crops, and domestic animals. However, the study revealed that only 30 percent of women in Tamale District were contacted by extension agents. In Savulegu/Nanton District where the IFAD sponsored S.RD.P gave financial support to women for farming and income-generating activities, and where the extension agents were given gender-sensitive training, 50 percent of the women were contacted. Factors influencing their participation in extension activities are: - lack of access to productive resources (land, capital, labour) socio-cultural factors (such as difficulty in traveling outside their communities, domestic chores, reproductive/childcare responsibilities and off-farm income-generating activities.) women farmers do not meet most of the criteria used in selecting contact farmers extension agents’ perception that women do not have decision-making authority concerning farming within the household as a result, cannot implement recommendations. - obstacles encountered by extension agents when contacting women due to socio-cultural norms. - lack of institutional mechanisms in place to ensure that extension agents contact women farmers and the absence of policies that aim at integrating women into the agricultural development process. The conclusions drawn from the findings are that, women farmers contribute significantly to agricultural production by cultivating food and cash crops and vegetables but are rarely involved in extension activities. This is attributed to the fact that: ♦ Due to lack of access to productive resources (land, labour and capital), they often find it difficult to implement improved farming techniques recommended to them by vii extension agents. ♦ Socio-cultural factors (e.g domestic chores, marital and childcare responsibilities) prevent them from participating in extension activities. ♦ Women do not meet most of the criteria used in selecting contact farmers (e.g. land ownership, ability to travel outside the community for training courses). ♦ Extension agents face obstacles when contacting women during their extension duties. This often discourage them from involving women in their extension activities. ♦ .There are no institutional procedures put in place to ensure that women farmers are reached by extension. Recommendations are made for policy makers and extension administrators to come out with policies and strategies for integrating women farmers’ needs and concerns into the agricultural development process. These include: institution of credit facilities for women farmers to purchase farming inputs, implements and processing machines. - the adoption of group approach to contacting women farmers - organization of separate functions for men and women so as to enable women feel free to talk or contribute to discussions selection of extension methods that are convenient for women farmers to attend criteria for the selection of contact farmers should be reviewed in order to enable women farmers qualify as contact farmers gender sensitizing training should be organized for extension agents(both male and female) to equip them with the tools /skills necessaty to work with women farmers targets should be set for the number of men and women farmers to be involved in each extension activity conducted by extension agents. Formats for reporting attendance by sex during extension activities should be designed for extension agents. Policies formulated by the Department of Agricultural Extension Services(D.A.E.S) should emphasize the need to work with women farmers The demonstration home concept should be extended to all the districts in the Northern Region since it has proven very effective as a strategy in reaching women farmers in the IFAD/SRDP operational areas and so is the women volunteer approach