Assessment of efficient utilization of production inputs among women rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Rural women have feature prominently in rice production enterprise, specifically; up to 70% of the rice produced in Africa comes from women (FAO, 2011). In Niger State, rice is traditionally regarded as a product of women. Women living in this area are having high knowledge about traditional farming methods of rice production. However, low productivity coupled with stiff competition posed by importers over the years has restrained the women farmers from earning significant returns from their investment and this has created rice production deficit. To minimize the effect of the rice production shortfalls on state demand, several efforts have been made by successive governments together with donor partners in a form of implemented projects to increase rice production. However, this effort is still ineffective due to limiting factors such as: inadequate institutional support (access to credit, research and extension), inappropriate production system, inadequate basic infrastructures, production risk and inefficiency on the part of the farmers. In light of these assertions, the challenging question to this review is that ‘can women rice farmers improved on their technical efficiency to reduce production risk and increase output’? Thus, this review seeks to assess the efficient utilization of production inputs among women rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria.