The study was conducted to analyze the barriers to women participation in agricultural production
in Bauchi local government area of Nigeria. The specific objectives addressed in the study were
to: analyze the socio-economic characteristics of women farmers; investigate level of women
participation in agricultural production activities; assess their access to extension services; and,
identify the agricultural production problems encountered by women farmers in the study area.
Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. The primary data were obtained using
structured questionnaires administered to 60 respondents that were randomly selected.
Frequency and percentage were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of women
farmers, their level of participation in agricultural production and accessibility to extension
services as well as the problems encountered by the respondent. Pearson correlation was used
to analyze the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and
their level of participation in agricultural production. Analysis of data showed that, majority (83%)
of the respondents were in their active age with fairly large family size and low educational status
and income. Majority of the women were highly involved in agricultural production as more than
half of them spend more than five hours of their daily activities on the farm during the farming
season. It was also found that the major constraint of the respondents was low capital due to
unavailability of credit facilities. The result of the Pearson’s correlation revealed that, age, family
size, education level, income, membership of cooperatives, presence of extension staff and
extension training received were positively related to women’s participation in agricultural
production and all were significant at 1% level. Marital status of the respondents is however,
negatively related to the respondents’ participation in agricultural production and it is significant at
5% level. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that the activities of extension
agencies should be re-orientated and the peculiar area of challenges facing women farmers
should be taken into cognizance in the design of extension programmes. In addition, credit
facilities should also be made available to women farmers with collateral demands structured to
accommodate their peculiar nature of the.