RURAL WOMEN'S ACCESS TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES: IMPLICATIONS FOR HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN THE LAW DISTRICT

Abstract

Ghana, like most developing countries, has been confronted with so many challenges including poverty and intense food insecurity. Liberalization of the financial sector and unbridled information, communication and technological subsectors were envisaged to bring about development and poverty reduction by creating easy access to all people especially the rural poor. However, rural areas still find no significant difference in this policy direction. Rural women are still the passive beneficiaries of these services. Their access to and control over resources still remain very dismal and the intensification of women subordination, subjugation and pauperization in the society are real phenomena. It is against this backdrop that the study assesses rural women's access to their business development needs, more especially finance, which are essential for unlocking their economic potential while triggering rural economic development. The study analyzes the constraints of rural women in accessing rural financial services, and examines its influence on rural household food security in the Lawra District. The study uses a combined analytical tool (qualitative and quantitative) and collects data from various sources (both primary and secondary). From the outcomes of the study, recommendations are made for policy action. The study reveals that, on the contrary, rural women's access to finance and other resources remains limited in spite of the proliferation of finance institutions in the country. However, the study also establishes that there exists a positive relationship between women's income and their expenditure on household food consumption. The study, therefore, concludes that rural women's access to both financial and non-financial resources are necessary pre-requisites for enhancing rural livelihoods and food security.