Barrier to access of rural women to land, livestock, other productive assets, extension services and credit in selected African countries

Abstract

Women in the rural areas of Africa carry the heaviest burden in terms of agricultural production, especially food production for the increasing population of the continent. There has been a traditional division of labour between by gender in the rural areas of the region. Women's primary responsibility is usually food production, preparation and collection of fuel and water. In sub-Saharan Africa more than half of the small farmers are women. They account for about three-fourths of the labour input in food production and processing, and are generally responsible for food crop production, while the men are mainly involved in growing cash crops. This points to the unequal and different roles played by men and women in rural areas of Africa. These traditionally different roles play an important part in determining the access to various vital aspects of agricultural production experienced by women, namely their access to land, productive assets, credit, etc. Women clearly do not play a minor or insignificant role, but encounter several factors which limit the scope for improvement.