Gender Analysis of Risk in Innovation System: A Case Study of Downy Mildew Maize Resistant Production in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study analyzed risk by gender in innovation in Kwara state, Nigeria, using downy mildew resistant maize production as case study. The study employed primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from well-structured questionnaires administered to both male and female producing the new maize variety. The analytical tools used include descriptive statistics, regression model; risk utility functions and risk parameter analysis. The result showed that invasion by animals, disease and pest, lack of access to credit wind and price fluctuation were the major risk facing the maize producers in the area in the usage of the new innovation.
The study also revealed that male producers were willing to take risk in the new maize variety production than the female, while the females were more indifferent to the risk involved in the new maize production variety than males. None of the producers was risk averse. Gender was found responsible for the level of risk involve in the new variety maize production. Other factors that were found responsible for their level of risk involved in the production include age, position held in the society and farm size. Finally, the study recommends that information and knowledge on new technology and innovation should be made available to the farmers. And also those farmers with less experience and more female should be encouraged and integrated into the agricultural production and innovation systems. Supply of inputs of the innovative facilities should be evenly distributed among genders. Inequality in acquisition and expansion of farm land should be discouraged in order to achieve sustainable agricultural innovation and development.