WOMEN, LAND DISPOSSESSION AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA: AN ECO-FEMINISM PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The Twenty-first century has witnessed change in the nature, dimension and dynamics of gender role and relationship. An important area of the change is in women rising engagement in agricultural production Sub-Saharan Africa. While women profile in agribusiness has risen, there remains impediments. One of these is the denial of women the right to land ownership through inheritance. This denial continued to be sanctioned through reference to cultural practices that limit women rights to inheritance. Given that land remains the major factor of production for agricultural activities, its accessibility particularly to women that are engaging in agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa remains a major concern. This is because dispossessing women right to land ownership impedes the production of food crops, thus exacerbating household poverty. Adopting eco-feminism as theoretical prop, this paper examines women engagement in agriculture within the context of the land dispossession using South-Eastern Nigeria as point of reference.

Keywords

• agriculture
• dispossession
• inheritance
• land
• nigeria
• women