Analyses of gender roles in cassava production among smallholder farmers in Imo State, Nigeria

This study investigated gender roles in cassava production in Imo State, Nigeria. Purposive and multi-stage random sampling techniques were used in the selection of male and female cassava farmers. A sample size of 240 respondents comprising of 120 male and 120 females were involved in this study. Instrument for data collection was a set of structured and pre-tested questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data generated. Results from this study had shown that men, women and youths played complementary roles in various operations involved in cassava production. While men dominated heavy labour operations such as land clearing and tillage, women dominated other operations like planting, weeding, harvesting and preparing food for farm use. Youths rarely had access to and control of finances for cassava production. Five variables namely occupation, farm size, distance from farm to market (km), level of weekly production, and monthly income from cassava business determined participation of the respondents in cassava production In line with the finding of this study, it is recommended that policy issues targeted at increasing cassava production in the state should advocate for more involvement of the males in especially those roles dominated by women and allowing youths greater access to and control of finances for cassava production.Keywords: Gender, Men, Women, Youths, Cassava production, and Socioeconomic characteristic