AGRICULTURAL CREDIT UTILIZATION AMONG SMALL SCALE WOMEN FARMERS IN SELECTED WARDS OF BIDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated agricultural credit utilization among small-scale women farmers in selected wards of Bida Local Government Area of Niger State. The specific objectives were to examine small-scale women farmers, to identify the major sources of credit to small-scale farmers and to determine the benefit (if any) which small-scale women farmers had derived after acquiring credit for their farm operations. Data were collected from one hundred respondents randomly selected from five wards with the aid of interview schedule administered by the researchers. Statistical tools used for data analysis were parentages, frequency distribution and student t-test. Up to fifty-six percent (56%) of the respondents claimed that they obtained their credit from various sources for their farm operations. The results show that t-calculated (17581) was greater than t-critical (1.9842) at 1% level of significance. Similarly, a total of 47% of the respondents opined that their farm produce increased their income which ranged between N31,000- – N40,000 after acquiring credit from the Cooperative Bank. It was concluded that small-scale women farmers’ income had increased when they had credit facilities from banks Therefore, it is recommended that banks are monitored regularly to disburse agricultural loan to women farmers at the appropriate planning season with reasonable interest charge and that extension agents should ensure that the loan is utilized for only agricultural purposes