Sustainability of Agriculture Value Chain by Rural Women for Income Generation in Oluyole Local Government of Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study focused on the sustainability of agriculture by rural women as a means of income generation in Oluyole local government. The study made use of both primary and secondary data. The instrument used for collecting the primary data was a set of structured questionnaire. Data were collected from 100 rural women farmers, randomly selected from four rural wards out of the ten wards in the local government, however, only 98 filled and returned their questionnaires. Data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Result obtained from the study showed that (51%) rural women farmers within the age group of 40-49 years this showed that adult women were involved in sustainability of agriculture in the study area. They engaged in farming for income generation (₦8, 000 – ₦10, 000) per week to support their household. The study further revealed that majority of the respondents engaged in processing and marketing of farm produce than other farm practices. Rural farmers had challenges of inadequate capital, poor access to road, and ignorance due to low level of education. They also lacked collateral to access bank loan, depended on family funding and their output was subsistence.