ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN INVOLVEMENT IN ARTISANAL FISHING IN OGUN WATERSIDE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OGUN STATE

Abstract

The study assessed women involvement in artisanal fishing in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State with a view to investigate constraints and level of women involvement in fishing. Structured interview schedule was used to collect data on women socio-economic characteristics, involvement, its extent, sources of information available to women and constraints associated with women involvement in artisanal fishing. Two-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 30% of the four hundred and fourteen (414) women involved in artisanal fishing in the study area. This produced a total of one hundred and twenty four (124) respondents which constituted sample size for the study. Women were involved actively in fishing activities but mostly in processing (1.18). Sources of artisanal fishing information were friends and family (1.60), middlemen (1.58) while constraints associated with women involvement in artisanal fishing includes highly laborious (2.77), lack of access to resources (2.22), among others. There was significant relationship between women involvement in artisanal fishing and socio-economic characteristics such as age (χ2=9.709), experiences (χ2=12.643), formal education (χ2=21.021), household size (χ2=25.227), income (χ2=26.667) and primary occupation (χ2=17.763). Also, sources of information such as membership of artisanal fishing association (r=0.418), middlemen (r=-0.442), friends and family (r=0.215) and constraints namely; lack of access to credit and finance (r=0.270), male dominant society (r=0.2565) and lack of access to resources (r=-0.202) had significant relationship with women involvement in artisanal fishing. Conclusively, women involvement in artisanal fishing was low and varied significantly with membership of association, middlemen, friends and family and access to resources. The study recommends that women should be supported to form groups and in capacity building to have adequate access to resources for enhanced participation in fishing activities.

Key Word: Assessment, Women Involvement, Artisanal fishing, Ogun Waterside

Comments: no replies

Join in: leave your comment