ABSTRACT
The dominant position held by women in African agriculture is suggested by the fact that as much as seventy percent of Africa’s agricultural workers are female. The women who work the land are generally poor, illiterate and male-dependent. Within the Jos Plateau area, many women are, as expected, involved in rainfed farming. The extent of their involvement in dry-season irrigation farming has not yet been ascertained. The chapter discusses the various activities in which women in the nine areas under study were seen involved regarding irrigation farming, from land preparation to the marketing of the products harvested. The role and status of women in market gardening in the study area, as observed in the field, is secondary to those of their male counterparts. Compared to other agricultural activities on the Jos Plateau, irrigation farming is operated mainly on a rather small-scale. Many women are generally involved in the marketing of gardening crops either as wholesalers or retailers.
