Abstract
The study was undertaken to assess the participation of women in palm oil processing in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. The study describe the Socio-economic characteristics of palm oil processors in Dekina, examine the methods of palm oil processing in the study area, ascertain the level of women participation in palm oil processing in the study area, identify the constraint of palm oil processing in the study area, and determine the influence of socio-economic characteristics of the respondent on the method of processing adopted. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for this research. At the first stage, a total of 140 palm oil processors in the study area using structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistic and Binary logit. Female processors are the main focus of this study. The result shows that the mean age of respondents was 46years. Majority of the respondents were married, having 12 as mean for the household size and majority of the respondents, have no formal education. Household size (P≤ 0.01), education (P≤ 0.05), marital status (P≤ 0.05) and processing experience (P≤ 0.05) were significant factors influencing the probability of processors adopting the mechanized method of processing. The study shows that several problems are militating against palm oil processing in the study area. Hence, it was recommended that women should have ready access to productive resources like credits, land, processing facilities, and information on mechanized method of processing.

Keywords
Women, Processing, Oilpalm, Mechanized, Manual

Cite this paper
Adejo, P.E, Olowogbayi, J.A, Adejo, E.G, Assesment of Women Participation in Palm Oil Processing in Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria. , SCIREA Journal of Agriculture. Volume 4, Issue 3, June 2019 | PP. 40-60.

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