Urban Women Farmers’ Involvement in Cassava Tuber Processing in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the roles urban women played in cassava processing in Imo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 100 rural women farmers. Data were collected from the respondents using interview schedule. Data were analysed using percentage and mean statistic. The major cassava products available in the area included fufu (91.7%), garri (90.5%), cassava balls (70%) and abacha/tapioca (65.2%). The roles they played included pounding (98.0%), peeling (97.8%), frying (97.0%), cooking (96.7%), sifting (95.0%) and boiling (95.0%). The constraints faced by the women included poor market demand ( = 3.5), unstable power supply ( = 3.4), inadequate information on processing ( = 3.3), the long period of time spent on processing ( = 3.4) and inadequate finance ( = 3.3). It was recommended that loans should be made available to the women to enable them cope with the constraints.