Introduction At the global level, gender mainstreaming is viewed as essential to accomplishing national development objectives and tackling major issues like climate change, food, nutrition and security in the agricultural sector. This study investigates the implementation of gender mainstreaming strategies and their effect on food security in Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. The research addresses how gender-responsive policies and programs influence four key dimensions of food security, availability, access, utilisation and stability. Specifically, the study examines the accessibility of agricultural resources for women farmers, barriers to effective gender mainstreaming in agricultural policies and the relationship between women’s empowerment initiatives and household food security outcomes. Methodology The study employed a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data was collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 30 female farmers, while qualitative data was gathered through in-depth, unstructured interviews with 50 households. A multistage sampling technique was utilised, incorporating stratified, cluster and simple random sampling methods. The six major towns in YSLG, namely Ilaro, Idogo, Iwoye, Ilobi/Erinja, Ajilete and Oke-Odan, served as the strata, with farmers grouped into clusters based on their production specialisation before final respondents were selected through simple random sampling. For data analysis, qualitative responses were subjected to thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and analysis, while quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics from SPSS. Simple linear regression was further used to determine the significance between various variables and food security outcomes. Results and discussion The findings revealed that women farmers face significant constraints in accessing critical agricultural resources, especially land, credit facilities and training programs. Statistical analysis confirmed that these access limitations have a significant negative effect (p<0.05) on household food availability. While gender-specific policies exist, their implementation faces substantial barriers including cultural norms, inadequate funding and limited institutional support. Finally, women’s empowerment initiatives, especially those focusing on financial inclusion and agricultural training, demonstrated statistically significant positive correlations (p<0.05) with improved food security indicators at the household level. Conclusions The study concluded that effective gender mainstreaming in agricultural policies requires a multifaceted approach which includes addressing structural barriers to resource access, implementing targeted women’s empowerment programs and ensuring gender perspectives are fully integrated into food security planning and policy formulation. The study highlights the need for legal reforms to protect women’s land rights, increased budgetary allocation for gender-responsive programs and community-based interventions to address deep-rooted cultural norms that hinder gender equality in agriculture. The findings have important implications for policymakers, development practitioners and local government authorities working to enhance food security through gender-sensitive approaches. It also contributes to the growing body of knowledge by demonstrating the critical role of gender mainstreaming in achieving sustainable food security outcomes in rural agricultural communities in Nigeria. Future research could adopt a longitudinal approach, comparative studies across different local governments, an intersectional analysis of marginalised groups or explore the evaluation of digital solutions among women farmers. Keywords: Gender mainstreaming, food security, women empowerment, gender-sensitive, agricultural resources
Olabimtan Rashidat O , Alhassan-Ewuoso Hadir O.