Influence Of Gender On Land Tenure Rights And Participation Among Rice Farmers In Cross River State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to analyse influence of gender on land tenure rights and participation among rice farmers in Cross River State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to identify various forms of land tenure rights existing among respondents, ascertain gender participation in rice production decision making process, determine influence of land tenure rights on level of participation, and assess strategies for enhancing access to and control over land tenure rights. Data for the study were collected through structured questionnaire from the three agricultural zones in the state using a multi-stage sampling procedure. A total of 383 respondents were selected for the study. Frequencies, percentages and regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The results indicated that most (60.6%) of the males had land through inheritance while majority (77.1%) of the females acquired through renting. The results also revealed that a sizeable proportion of the males (62%, 47.7% and 39%) were involved in decisions regarding: where to grow the crop, techniques to adopt and quantity to consume and sell respectively, while a smaller proportion of the females (38.4%, 30.2% and 15.6 %) were involved in decisions concerning: where to grow the crop, techniques to adopt and quantity of rice to consume and sell respectively. The results also showed that land tenure rights through inheritance and communal ownership had positive influence on the level of participation among rice farmers at 1% level of significance. The results also revealed that major strategies for enhancing land tenure rights were: abolition of certain cultures, equal participation, and promotion of adult education with percentage representation of 94.4%, 63.2% and 51.7% respectively. The study therefore recommended that women should be given equal opportunity as men to acquire land through inheritance so as to enhance their participation in rice production.