WOMEN IN AQUACULTURE: A STUDY OF THE CAMP 74 FISH FARM SETTLEMENT ANWAI, ASABA, DELTA STATE, 2000-2020

Abstract

African women face multilayered challenges in numerous sectors and facets of life. Despite this existential challenge, women remain the informal economy’s pillars of several sectors and subsectors. Though women are active players in the formal economic sector, their impact is more pronounced in the informal sector. Women’s activities are redefining gendered vocations in key aspects. One of the areas in which women have reframed gendered vocation is in the area of aquaculture. Women in aquaculture are beginning to exert enormous influence, as the Camp 74 Fish Farm Anwai, a suburb of Asaba, the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria, has proven. This article examined women’s roles in aquaculture: socioeconomic contributions and the challenges they have had to confront, among others. It also explored women’s engagement in other ancillary businesses associated with aquaculture, such as sales, processing, and other farm services. The data for the study were collected through both primary and secondary sources. Findings suggest that with targeted interventions and the minimization of the obstacles faced by women, they can become key players in sustainable aquaculture development in Nigeria with its inherent benefits. The study offers recommendations such as providing access to the necessary resources, including land, credit, and inputs such as seed, feed, and equipment for women in aquaculture. The study concludes that by addressing the challenges facing women in rural aquaculture, as highlighted in this study, and leveraging the potential of women in aquaculture, the sustainability and productivity of rural aquaculture systems can be enhanced, ultimately benefiting entire communities.