Grassroots Women Empowerment and Participation in Fish Farming: A Survey of Women in Selected Communities in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

In Lagos State, serious emphasis have thus been placed on women empowerment through fish farming entrepreneual scheme that simultaneously address households food security and poverty challenges. The study covered two grassroots fishery communities (Epe and Badagry). These communities were purposively selected. 102 women fish farmers were drawn from the two communities with simple random sampling. Also, 14 women fish farmers were purposively selected for focus group discussion (FGD) in each of the communities. The result shows that a considerable majority of the women engaged in full-time fish farming; in addition to their traditional fish processing and marketing roles. The women now increasingly share their families’ economic burden. The test of hypothesis shows that a significant relationship does exist between the women income generated from fish farming and their participation in family decision making process. The study recommends agricultural loan (credit) facilities that could help the women to expand their fish farming enterprises. Institutional supports of the extension agents are other capacity building mechanism required to invigorate the fish farming entrepreneurial scheme for socio-economic empowerment of the women at the grassroots.