Women's role in agricultural development in Oyo State, Nigeria: Unveiling challenges, opportunities for success, and pathways to sustainable growth

This study explores the roles of marginalized women in agricultural work within Nigeria's Oyo State, emphasizing their contributions, obstacles, and aspects of gender involvement with farming. Drawing on the GAD (Gender and Development) and (SRLA) Sustainable Rural Livelihood procedure, the study investigates how women direct socio-economic restrictions, such as inadequate ownership of land, financial resources, and technology for agriculture, while balancing their roles in care work. The study emphasizes the contradiction between improving women's empowerment, productivity in farming, and sustainability, challenging the belief that these goals can be achieved without resolving underlying structural inequities. Empirical data were gathered using qualitative methods such as focus groups and interviews with other female farmers in rural parts of Oyo State with (a non-probability sample size of 60 participants). While women contribute greatly to agricultural output, they often lack recognition and support, despite their essential role. Their participation is limited by social and cultural customs that restrict their rights to land and power to make decisions. Furthermore, the study investigates how women's empowerment measures, such as government initiatives, frequently fail to address the larger sociopolitical systems that maintain gender inequalities. This study sheds light on the complex relationship among gender, development, and agriculture, and it proposes policy recommendations for increased recognition of women's participation in the agricultural sector. The study reports how these women get help from Women Farmers Empowerment Initiatives (WOFEI). By tackling challenges to empowering women, such as land rights and financial availability, this research argues for an improved inclusive and equitable strategy for agricultural development that incorporates gender and sustainability considerations.