African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2516-9831 Vol. 5 (2), pp. 001-008, February, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Assessment of the role of gender in cooperative development in Awka-North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State Nigeria

¹Akubuilo C. J. C., ¹Ugwu D. S.*, ²Attah C. C.

^1*Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, PMB 01660 Enugu.

²Department of Cooperative Economics and Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria.

Accepted 21 September, 2019

Abstract

This study had the objective of assessing the role of gender in cooperative development, analyzing the socio-economic profile of the cooperators on the basis of gender, assessing gender contributions to cooperative development in terms of membership, organizational and leadership structures as well as examining technical efficiency and factors hindering the implementation of gender sensitive program and activities in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State. Field survey was conducted to collect data from one hundred and fifty (150) respondents. The study employed descriptive statistics, stochastic cobb Douglas frontier function as well as ranking method in the analysis of data collected. The result of the study indicated that female cooperators, who are within the active age, are reasonably literate and dominate the leadership role in cooperatives. The result also showed that farm size and fertilizer use led to increase in technical or productive efficiency among cooperators. The major constraint is gender imbalance or inequality, conflicting interest, low level of participation, wrong timing of meetings and long distance to meeting venue. The estimation of technical efficiency of the cooperators was done using cobb-Douglas functional form of stochastic frontier model. The coefficients of farm size and fertilizer possess a positive sign, while gender possessed a negative coefficient and highly significant. Although, it does not confirm with a priori expectation, it shows that female cooperators contribute more to technical or productive efficiency of their enterprises than their male counterparts. It was recommended that cooperatives should address equality issues and make a firm commitment in their mandate to correct imbalances where they exist and to attain equitable and sustainable development with both men and women in decision-making and leadership position.

Keywords: Gender, cooperative development, assessment.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2516-9831 Vol. 5 (1), pp. 001-013, January, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Gendered knowledge and innovation in crop production and management practices: a case study of three rural communities in Ambo district, Ethiopia

G. S. Ogato

Department of Rural Development, Institute of Cooperatives and Development Studies, Ambo University, Ethiopia. Email: [email protected]

Accepted 22 September, 2019

Abstract

Research on gender in agriculture was conducted in Ambo district, Ethiopia, between July and September 2007 to assess gender roles in crop production and management. During the study period, gendered knowledge and innovation on crop production and management practices was assessed in three rural communities of the district. A key premise of this article is that both males and females are knowledgeable about crop production and management practices in rural Ethiopian context. The paper identifies and examines males’ and females’ knowledge on crop production and management practices through a thorough analysis of secondary information and primary data collected in Ambo District with the help of questionnaires, interviews, observations, focus group discussions, participatory rural appraisal, gender analysis and case studies (life histories). Statistical package for social science (SPSS) and excel spreadsheet functions were used to treat and analyze the data. The results of the analysis indicate that both females and males are knowledgeable about crop production and management despite the common belief held in the society that females in Ethiopia are not knowledgeable about productive works such as crop production and management but domestic works. From the study undertaken, it is clear that females in rural Ethiopia have important knowledge which must be documented and integrated in multi-stakeholders’ agricultural innovation processes if the Ethiopian agricultural research and development system is to be transformed in a sustainable manner.

Keywords: Agriculture, crop production, Ethiopia, gendered knowledge, innovation.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2516-9831 Vol. 5 (1), pp. 001-009, January, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Analysis of gender differentials in technical efficiency of smallholder rice farmers in Ashanti region of Ghana

John-Muoh¹, Ikwasi Sukoya,²* Kwame R. W² and Okolie Yangari³

¹Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

²Department of Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana.

³Department of Economics and Entrepreneurial Development, University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana

Accepted 19 February, 2016

Abstract

This study examined the differences in re source use and technical efficiency between male female rice farmers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The stochastic production frontier model was used to assess the technical efficiency of the rice farmers. Female rice farmers were found to be producing at high levels of inefficiency. The predicted efficiencies differed substantially from between 2 and 85 %, with mean efficiency of 24%. The low mean efficiency index is an indication of inefficiencies in resource use. Also, female headed farms recorded a mean technical efficiency of 16.5% with a range of between 2 and 66%. The male headed farms, on the other hand, showed a mean technical efficiency of 30.8 %, and a range between 2 and 85%. The results imply that on the average, female rice farmers are relatively technically inefficient than their male counterparts. The paper concludes that since women farmers contribute about 60% of domestic food supply in Ghana, it is important that efforts should be made to build the capacity of women farmers to produce efficiently.

Key words: Gender differentials, resource us e, rice farmers, smallholder, technical efficiency.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2736-1578 Vol. 4 (11), pp. 001-004, November, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Human rights perspective and legal framework of child labour with special reference to India

Bilal Ahmad Bhat

Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, J&K, India, 190006. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 09419448083.

Accepted 19 November, 2019

Abstract

Human rights were formally acknowledged and declared in realization of the need to safeguard and promote the inherent dignity of all members of human society. Prior to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, human rights standards applicable to all members of the human family had been expressed in legal instruments such as covenants, conventions and declarations. By, 1989, the standards concerning children were brought together in a single legal instrument agreed to by the international community. It unambiguously spelt out the rights to which every child is entitled, regardless of place of birth, descent, sex, religion, or social origin. India has always been a land of many social problems and one amongst them is child labour. The Constitution of India guarantees fundamental rights and full freedom to enjoy childhood for the children of the country. Inspite of that millions of children are being put to arduous work for short and narrow gains. Legal protection to children from such exploitation and the human rights perspective is the crux of this article.

Key words: Child rights, human rights, United Nations, UNICEF, convention, Ilo, constitution, article, act, hazardous work.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2736-1578 Vol. 4 (11), pp. 001-006, November, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Trafficking in women and children: A hidden health and social problem in Nigeria

S. Abdulraheem* and A. R. Oladipo

Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, College of Medicine,

University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

Accepted 08 November, 2019

Abstract 

Trafficking in women and children recently emerged as a global issue. This study assesed the pattern of trfficking in women and children and factors influencing it. Quantitative and qualitative study designs were used. Women and children aged 15 - 49 and 10 - 14 years respectively constituted the study population. A multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select sample. Quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted. Among the interviewed women, 16.8% had experienced trafficking preceding the survey. The most frequent type of trafficking was commercial sex (46.7%) followed by child labour (34.5%). Educated and enlightened people (57.3%) appeared to be the main perpetrators of women and child trafficking followed by intimate/close associate (32.1%). Contributing factors for trafficking in women and children in this study are poverty (58.7%), parental discrimination favoring boys over girls (51.4%), lack of knowledge of human slavery and trafficking (33.6%) and family disintegration (21.5%) increase in school dropouts, lack of governments' monitoring of trade working environment and poor socio-economic conditions appeared to be significantly associated with trafficking in women and children (p < 0.05). This study therefore suggests that human trafficking could be tackled by, enacting a comprehensive law that specifies severe punishment for traffickers, rehabilitate victim and increasing security at border posts.

Key words: Trafficking, women, children, problem, Nigeria.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN 2736-1578 Vol. 4 (11), pp. 001-004, November, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Anthropology and parallelism: The individual as a universal

Marvin E. Kirsh

The California State University Los Angeles Department of Anthropology, USA. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. Tel: 323-263-0426.

Accepted 12 March, 2019

Abstract

It is difficult to define perspective within sets that are self belonging. For example in the study of man-kind, anthropology, both men and their studies fall into the same category that contains the topic out-line. This situation entails a universal quality of uniqueness, an instance of it, to the topic of anthropo-logy that may be viewed in parallel with the topic of nature as the set of unique particulars. Yet one might assent to the notion in the inclusive study of man, anthropology, that nothing in its’ content should conceivably be construed to exceed it, though in approaches to the topic, reference to the topic of nature, unavoided, refer to the scientific topic of nature in which contemporary notions, when cont-rasted, exceed the perceptual experience of nature. In this presentation problems in approaches and in the application of available tools for analysis to the study of man will be discussed. Framed with respect to a concept of parallelism, notions and stimuli are introduced to augment and reorient towards a more creative perspective with respect to the organization of first perspective considera-tions in studies. The theories of relativity, the idea of mathematical relations for simultaneous events, the presence of artifactual paradoxes as they are reflected in thinking and the scientific tools applied towards investigations are discussed and hopefully highlighted so that they may hopefully be perceived distinctly form realities involved in the pursuit of studies.

Key words: Logical positivism, theory of relativity, universals and constants, parallelism, mechanization.