Determinants of Income Generating Pluriactivity among Rural Women in Lere, Kaduna State, Nigeria

An estimated 54 million of Nigeria’s 78 million women are based in the rural areas and make a living from the land. Apart from farming, the women are also engage in other income generating activities (IGAs) – defined as any activity that generates income for the family. This research was carried out to analyse the determinants of income generating pluraactivity among rural women in Lere, Kaduna state. A two stage sampling technique (multi stage) was used to select the women that were involved in some form of income generating activity in the Local Government Area (LGA). In the first stage, four districts were selected out of the 14 districts in the LGA. In the second stage, 5% of the 3,600 women that were involved in different IGAs spread across the study area were randomly taken. These women were selected from a list obtained from the LGA women farmers and marketers empowerment program. Primary data were generated from 180 respondents using structured questionnaire and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics, profit function and multiple regression. The result revealed that rural women in the study area engaged in an average of five economic activities at a time and they were able to make profit in the various businesses. The result of the determinants of profitability showed that variables of age, average distance to market, farm size, number of income generating activities and startup capital were significant and these influence overall profit generated by the rural women. The study further showed that because of lack of capital and inaccessibility to credit, the women had to fund the businesses through personal savings and loans obtained from family and friends. This was too meager in most cases. Despite the established fact that women provide over 60% of the food for household consumption in sub Saharan Africa, traditional constraints, market failures and lack of institutions to support them are issues besetting their efforts. Governmental and non-governmental organizations should ensure that financial institutions by law, reach out to women up to a certain threshold. The NGOs should build the capacity of these women through organized trainings.