Gender Roles in Improved Cowpea Varieties Production and Selection Among Farmers in Kano State, Nigeria

Gender plays a vital role in agricultural production, especially for cowpea, which is an important crop in Nigeria. The selection of good preferred varieties results in optimum output. The study assessed the gender roles in improved cowpea variety production and its selection among farmers in Kano State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select six (6) Local Government Areas (LGAs) from the three (3) Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) zones in the state. 204 farmers were selected across the six LGAs. The Harvard Analytical Framework and questionnaire were used to collect the data, and descriptive statistics were also used to analyse it. The results from the study revealed that the majority (63%) of adult males are the key actors in all cowpea farm activities, with the exception of the processing of farm products, which is being carried out mainly by the majority (76.6%) of adult females with the assistance of the female youth in the household. Females handled the majority of the income-generating tasks, such as petty trading and the sale of processed cowpea products. Adult males in the study area had more access to and control over the available production resources than adult females, and almost all the respondents benefited from the resources, such as food items, clothing, education, etc. The result further indicated that the constraints faced by both male and female farmers were inadequate training on improved agronomic practices and no proper information on the cowpea varieties. Conclusively, adult males performed most of the cowpea production and selection activities, and females were responsible for the income-generating activities. Therefore, farmers should be adequately trained on the improved cowpea production practices and females be encourage to participate actively in cowpea production activities.