From Nut to Income: Women’s Economic Empowerment through Bambara Processing in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Despite its important significance in people's diets and also a source of employment for women in Enugu state, Nigeria, there appear to be issues in the processing, profitability, and use of Bambara groundnut in the study area. The study analyzes the economic empowerment of empowerment of under-utilized legumes using Bambara nuts among Women processors in Enugu State. Three-stage sampling techniques were used to select 120 women processors. Primary data were obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire and were analyzed using gross margin, stochastic frontier model, and Likert-type scale. The results revealed that the gross margin is ₦347,238.14. Age, household size, education level, labor cost, and quantity of Bambara nuts have highly significant effects on the technical efficiency of Bambara nut processing. The most significant constraints are poor government support, high costs of inputs, and price variation. The study therefore, recommend that, government and related stakeholders, such as NGOs and Bambara nut producers, should establish programs to assist Bambara nut processors, provide subsidies for the raw materials required, and implement initiatives to support them.