ABSTRACT:

The study analysedthe constraints and coping strategies of women entrepreneurs in small ruminantproduction in the insurgency prevalent areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. Multi-stage samplingprocedure; involving snowball sampling techniques were employed in selecting 300womenentrepreneurs. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire and analysedusing descriptive statistics. The results showed that 39.9% of therespondents are between the agesof 35-44 in the insurgency areas and 30.5% are between the ages of 35-44 in the non-insurgencyareas, most (74.2%) respondents were formally educated, and 86.3% are married amongsttherespondents and that 36.6% of the women entrepreneurs in small ruminant production in theinsurgency areas and 68.1% in the non-insurgency areas are into crop farming as their othersource of income. The results also showed that 62.2% of the respondents consider Availability oflabour as severe constraints while 78.2% strongly agree that availability of credits is a very severeconstraint during the insurgency. The results further showed that relocation of their sheep andgoats to safer places (3.66) was the coping strategy employed by the women entrepreneurs in smallruminant production in the study area during the insurgency.The study recommended that theGovernment should Provide support either in the form of funding or stock animals to the womenentrepreneurs, this will be a good way in starting the livelihood programme for vulnerable women,as it facilitates more effective utilization of unpaid family labour, more stable households andincreased self-reliance.