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

Abstract

Women's access to and control of land is an important, even crucial issue because of its relation to and implications for food production and food security in the region. Women in rural Africa often do not own the land they are working. The land generally is registered as belonging to their husbands, who then pass it on to their sons, at least to those who remain in the rural area of origin. Barriers to access to land are one of the major impediments to the full participation of women in rural development Legal reforms have not succeeded in removing these barriers, and agrarian reform programs have often had the effect of further marginalizing women. Increasing rather than diminishing their chances to obtain land. The study endeavors to sensitize and inform about the important problems and issues facing women in Africa which may often go unrecognized. It attempts to bring out the areas which might need to be improved in order to raise the productivity of the region's agricultural and rural areas as a whole, to the benefit of all, both men and women, as well as future generations. Furthermore, it states certain conclusions and recommendations which are felt to be necessary for the alleviation of the problems faced by rural African women in particular and the rural areas as a whole.