Sociological Analysis of Gender Roles and Agricultural Productivity Among Smallholder Farming Households in Benue State

Agricultural productivity in Nigeria's food producing North Central zone is constrained by systemic gender inequality in resource access, decision-making, and labor recognition within smallholder farming households. This study analytically examines the relationship between gender role structures and agricultural productivity among smallholder farming households in Benue State, filling a gap in gender-differentiated agricultural sociology for the region. A comparative analytical design was employed, with household-level agricultural production data combined with gender role questionnaires administered to 320 male-female dyads in farming households across Makurdi, Gboko, and Oju LGAs. The Gender and Development framework was applied analytically. Regression analysis controlling for land size, inputs, and household characteristics reveals that households with egalitarian gender role structures, characterized by joint decision-making over agricultural inputs and equitable labor valuation, produced 29% more agricultural output per hectare than households with traditional patriarchal structures. Female-managed crop plots under female respondents' autonomous control outperformed male-managed plots of equivalent size and input levels in four of six crop types assessed, consistent with women's superior management intensity findings in international literature. Women's access to agricultural extension services was restricted by social norms in 67% of surveyed communities, representing a systematic productivity-reducing gender barrier. The study contributes empirically grounded analytical evidence for gender-differentiated agricultural sociology in Benue State and supports gender mainstreaming in state agricultural extension programming. Keywords: gender roles, agricultural productivity, smallholder farming, Benue State, gender and development.