Volume 3 (Issue 1) 2023 Article 15

ABSTRACT:

The study analysed the constraints and coping strategies of women entrepreneurs in small ruminant production in the insurgency prevalent areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure; involving snowball sampling techniques were employed in selecting 300womenentrepreneurs. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that 39.9% of the respondents are between the ages of 35-44 in the insurgency areas and 30.5% are between the ages of 35-44 in the non-insurgency areas, most (74.2%) respondents were formally educated, and 86.3% are married amongst the respondents and that 36.6% of the women entrepreneurs in small ruminant production in the insurgency areas and 68.1% in the non-insurgency areas are into crop farming as their other source of income. The results also showed that 62.2% of the respondents consider Availability of labour as severe constraints while 78.2% strongly agree that availability of credits is a very severe constraint during the insurgency. The results further showed that relocation of their sheep and goats to safer places (3.66) was the coping strategy employed by the women entrepreneurs in small ruminant production in the study area during the insurgency.The study recommended that the Government should Provide support either in the form of funding or stock animals to the women entrepreneurs, 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 and increased self-reliance.