Large-scale Agricultural Investments and Female Employment in Nigerian Communities

Abstract

This study examines how large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) affect employment outcomes of female-headed households in Nigeria. It focuses on wage income and labour allocations to agricultural activities for households in communities with LSAIs in comparison with households in communities without LSAIs. It engages Wave 4 (2018/2019) of the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) dataset using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique. The results show a positive relationship with the household agricultural wage income but a negative relationship with the labour allocation to agricultural activities. Furthermore, the results indicate that households in communities with LSAIs receive higher wages and spend fewer hours in agricultural activities. Also, though female-headed households spend more hours on agricultural activities than the male-headed households, they earn less. Therefore, the study submits some recommendations on how to reduce the possible adverse effects of LSAIs and optimise its positive impact, especially for females in rural communities where most of such investments occur.