Effect of Women Access to Credit in Rice Farm Efficiency among Rice Farmer's in Kontagora, Niger State, Nigeria

The study examined the effects of access to credit on rice production efficiency in Niger State, Nigeria, using Kontagora Local Government Areas as a case study. This is with a view to determining the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, the various sources of credit available to the farmers, the level of rice farmers’ access to credit and the problems encountered by the farmers in accessing credit. The study had a total of 120 female farmers who were randomly selected and interviewed with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The methods employed in analyzing the data obtained were descriptive statistics and stochastic regression analysis. The result revealed that banks, cooperative societies, and Esusu/saving groups are the significant sources of credit available to the farmers. The average loan obtained by the farmers was N81, 730. Farm size has a positive relationship with the farmers’ access to credit. The major problems faced by the farmers in accessing credit are insufficient amount of money, lack of collateral, and high-interest rates. It is recommended that extension agents should create awareness and also link the rural farmers to available credit facilities. Besides, financial institutions should adopt criteria of creditworthiness that are less cumbersome to the rural female farmers