Promoting gender – Equitable agricultural value chains: the role of corporate social responsibility in Nigeria's Niger Delta

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOC) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on promoting gender-equitable agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta region.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a quasi-experimental design that used survey research technique, aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 760 rural women (380 from the treatment group and another 380 from the control group) were sampled across the Niger Delta region.FindingsThe results from the use of a combination of a logit model and propensity score matching indicate a significant relationship between GMoU model and gender-equitable agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.Research limitations/implicationsThis study implies that CSR of MOCs is a critical factor in the need to integrating gender into agricultural value chains, achieving the goal of increasing agricultural growth and expanding the stable food supply.Originality/valueThis research contributes to gender debate in agricultural value chains from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.