Introduction Gender inclusion and equity in agriculture are vital for sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and ensuring food security. Women constitute approximately 43% of the global agricultural workforce and contribute significantly to food production, processing, and marketing. Despite this, they frequently encounter major obstacles in accessing land, credit, technology, and extension services because of deep-rooted gender norms and systemic institutional biases. Research Purpose: This study examines the effect of gender inclusion and equity in agriculture and food security in Ogun State, Nigeria. Research Goals: i. Scrutinize the effect of access to agricultural resources on food security ii. Explore the effect of agricultural decision-making power on food security iii. Investigate the effect of participation in agricultural training and cooperatives on food security Materials and Methodology Access to agricultural resources, agricultural decision-making power, and participation in agricultural training and cooperatives are critical components of gender equity in farming, as they empower marginalized groups, enhance productivity, and promote inclusive agricultural development. The Gender and Development Theory (GAD): evolved through the collective work of feminist scholars, development practitioners, and international organizations in the 1980s, particularly as a critique of the Women in Development (WID) approach, argues that that gender inequality stems from unequal social and power relations, not just the exclusion of women. It advocates for transforming development structures to promote equity for both men and women. The study used a stratified sampling technique to ensure representation across the diverse agricultural sub-sectors present in Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria, focusing on as tuber cultivation, fisheries, snail farming, and leafy vegetable farmers. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted with 385 farmers adopting Taro Yamane’s sampling method from a population of 10,267. Data analysis combined multiple regression and linear regression analyses to assess the relationships between gender inclusion indicators and various aspects of food security Results and Discussion: Reliability: Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.913 confirms excellent internal consistency for the measurement scale, ensuring the items reliably captured the intended constructs. Model Summary: The regression model explains 84.3% of the variance in Food Security (FS) (R² = .843), representing a strong predictive effect. Regression Results: agricultural resources (AR) has a moderate and lowest positive predictor of FS (β = .612, p < .089), agricultural decision-making power (ADP) has a high positive effect (β = .891, p = .055), meanwhile agricultural training and cooperatives (ATC) shows a high positive effect (β = .805, p < .006). Conclusions The study concluded that there is no gender inclusion and equity in agricultural food security in Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study recommends that the government and development partners should implement and enforce policies that ensure equitable access to land, credit, inputs, and extension services for women, encourage joint decision-making models within households and farming cooperatives by supporting gender-sensitive training and leadership programs in Ogun State. Keywords: Agricultural resources, decision-making power, food security, gender inclusion and equity, training.
Amori Ochuko Mary, Olumola Falilat Becky