Analysis of Gender Gaps in Access to Agricultural Productive Resources and Their Effect on Crop Productivity in Benue State

Gender-based disparities in access to productive agricultural resources represent both an equity concern and an efficiency loss in smallholder farming systems. In Benue State, persistent gaps in women farmers' access to land, credit, and extension services relative to male counterparts have been noted, yet their quantified effect on crop productivity remains limited in the empirical literature. This study analysed gender gaps in access to agricultural productive resources and their effect on crop productivity in Benue State using data from 230 household plots disaggregated by gender of plot manager. An Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition was applied to quantify the components of the gender productivity gap attributable to resource endowment differences versus returns to those resources. Plot-level crop productivity was measured in kilogrammes per hectare for yam and maize. Results revealed a mean productivity gap of 27 percent between male and female-managed plots, with over 60 percent of the gap attributable to differential resource endowments rather than efficiency differences. Female farmers had significantly lower fertiliser application rates, smaller plot sizes, and fewer extension contacts. Addressing the endowment component of the gap through targeted land, credit, and extension access reforms could yield aggregate productivity gains of approximately 12 percent. The study recommends gender-responsive resource transfer programmes in Benue State and integration of gender equity benchmarks into the state's agricultural development planning. Keywords: gender gap, productive resources, crop productivity, Benue State, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition.