Gender and Generational Roles in Rice Production in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the staple food crops in Nigeria and is consumed all over the country. It is a rich source of carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals and helps to fight hunger and starvation. Rice production helps to draw the country closer to the much-desired food security status. It is also used as raw materials for many products. The offal, stalk and other by-products are of importance in feeding the livestock. Apart from the provision of food for man and feed for animal, rice is used in industries for the production of starch, gum, flour etc. Production of rice creates employment for the farmers, hired labourers and others involved in the trade along the value chain. Rice is of economic importance especially for those who produce the commodity for commercial purpose. It increases the income of the farmers, boost their social status and leads to overall improvement in their standard of living. For countries that export the commodity, it is a veritable source of foreign exchange earnings. Rice is produced all over the world, with China being the leading producer, producing an estimated 146.0 million tons of the total global output of 484.3 million tons during the 2017/2018 market year (USDA, 2018). In Africa, Nigeria is one of the rice producing countries, producing about 2.8 million tons of the product during the 2017/2018 market year (USDA, 2017). Despite the fact that Nigeria is one of the producers of the product in Africa, the quantity imported yearly is very high. This is due to the high demand for the product and the large population size of the country. However, with reforms in the agricultural sector, especially in rice production, Nigeria will soon join countries like China and India as a major exporter of the produce. Moreover, according to Salami (2018), Nigeria saved 216 billion Naira between 2015 and 2018 since the beginning of the vigorous drive to increase local rice production in the country. There are various activities involved in rice production. These include bush clearing, tillage, planting, transplanting, control of pest/diseases and harvesting. Others include threshing, milling, bagging and storage. Both males and females, young and old are involved in the various stages of the production process, though levels of involvement may differ across sex and age groups. However, some of these activities are tedious and require strength and vigour to participate in them.