LAND DEGRADATION AND FOOD SECURITY: EFFECTS ON WOMEN FARMERS IN THE YENDI MUNICIPAL AREA

Abstract

Land degradation continues to attract the attention of many stakeholders globally. This study seeks to assess women’s access to land, the causes of land degradation and effects on women’s food security in the Yendi municipal area. It further examines coping strategies adopted by the female farmers in the study area to ensure their household food security. Survey instruments consisting of questionnaire and interviews were used to solicit the relevant information from two groups of respondents, namely 85 women farmers and 15 respondents from three institutions which included the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Evangelical Presbyterian Development Relief Agency (EPDRA) and Department of Community Development (DCD) who were randomly selected to participate in the survey. Findings suggest that women in the area generally do not own lands. They only access land for farming from individual land owners and their husbands who determine what type or size of land to give to them. These are mostly marginal lands which they have to continuously farm for longer periods further degrading the lands. This situation threatens their food security as a result of poor yields which is not sufficient to take them through the year. Soil fertility enhancing practices such as fertilizer application or cover cropping need to be encouraged to enable the women maximize the use of the small size land to support their food needs. Also, institutions in agriculture which operate in the area should come to the aid of the women by helping them with agricultural inputs, as the survey indicates that NGOs which come to their help do only the ploughing for them.