ABSTRACT
This chapter explores several facets of Nso economy and gender relations in order to place the problem of women’s access to land and capital in perspective. It describes the household economy, including the allocation of land and labour, distribution of income, and investments of capital, within the context of Nso gender ideology. The customary attitude toward women owning land is clear in national development programs. The national government, in an attempt to promote increased food production for urban centers and stem rural-urban migration, has instituted a Young Farmer’s Resettlement Program. Women’s role as the primary farmers have remained essentially the same in Nso, Western Cameroon, since Phyllis Kaberry wrote her classic study Women of the Grassfields in 1952. The household economy historically has been oriented towards production of use value. The age structure of households, with 52% of the household sample under age fifteen and only 47% in the working age group, indicates a heavy economic burden for working members.
