Rural women's access to forest resources and its impact on household food security in Ondo State, Nigeria

abstract

There is evidence that forests are often of particular importance as a source of livelihoods for women, children and ethnic minorities. This study examined the access of rural women to forest resources and its impact on household food security in Ondo State, Nigeria. Three rural communities were randomly selected from each of four local government areas within the study area. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with key informants, focus group discussions and household interviews. Pre-tested structured questionnaires were administered to 10 women respondents in each of the sampled communities, with a total of 120 women respondents interviewed.

The results showed that rural women have free and independent access to exploit forest resources on communal and family lands in the study area. For 61% of respondents farming was their major source of livelihood, and of these 40% indicated that they utilised forest resources for household consumption only, 8% for commercial purposes, and over half of the respondents (52%) for both household consumption and commercial purposes. It was revealed that forest resources contributed immensely to household food security and poverty alleviation in the study area through the provision of income, food and other household needs. It is recommended that to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals of overcoming poverty and hunger, women need to have greater access to forest resources.

keywords:

• rural women
• forest resources
• food security
• Nigeria