WOMEN FARMERS AND BROILER PRODUCTION IN JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE

Abstract

This study was undertaken to access the socio-economic characteristics of women broiler farmers and factors influencing their participation in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. One hundred and twenty women were used as respondents. They were purposively selected. The study was conducted between August and October, 2024. Descriptive statistics and simple regression were used to analyze the data. Results obtained showed that Majority of the respondents are married with average age of 39 years and broiler production experience of 7 years. They mostly have primary and secondary education with a flock size of 130 broilers. They are also involved in other occupations like trading (25.0%) and civil service (19.2%). In addition, age, marital status, educational level, additional occupation and flock sizes have high influence (p<0.01) on their involvement in broiler farming. Amongst the constraints identified amongst women are poor access to financial support (94.2%), pricing and market of broilers (90.8%), lack of training (81.7%) and pests and diseases (25.8%). The study recommends that younger women be encouraged to venture into broiler production, provided with opportunity to have access to financial support and regular training on modern broiler production.