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Women play a crucial role in the Nigerian Agricultural sector ranging from production to processing and marketing. About 80% of small scale cassava clusters in the western part of Nigeria are owned and operated by women. The study sought to analyse the restrictions and factors that contribute to the participation of rural women in cassava processing in Isiukwuato area of Abia State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed in the selection of eighty (80) respondents from whom data were elicited. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the probit regression model. The result showed that the respondents were young (44.19), with majority married (78.75%), had a mean household size of (5.16) persons, attained various levels of education but were small scale farmers with a mean farm size of (1.98) hectares. The probit regression estimate showed that the coefficients of age, education level, farm income, cooperative membership, household size and extension contact influenced the participation of the respondents in cassava processing at varied levels of significance. The model posted a pseudo R² of (0.6303). Like every other business, the respondents faced restrictions like poor storage facilities, low quality of cassava roots, discolouration and uncontrolled fermentation, inadequate supply of cassava roots all year round among others. Based on the findings, the study suggested the introduction of contract farming in the area, which will ensure a reliable supply of cassava roots for large scale processing and incorporating gender perspective into all agricultural interventions by the government to ensure equal impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the influence of commercialization on food security status of cassava producing households in Abia State, Nigeria. It specifically assessed the current level of commercialization among the households and estimated the food security status of the households operating at different levels of commercialization. The study employed multistage sampling technique in the selection of location and respondents from whom data and information were elicited using pretested and structured questionnaire. In the course of data analysis, descriptive statistics, household commercialization index and food security index were used. The current level of commercialization revealed that a typical cassava producing household sold on the average 51 percent of its output with total sales ranging from 5.60% to 90.00%, implying that the most commercialized cassava producing household sold 90.00% of the gross value of its total cassava production. More so, the food security status of the households at different levels of commercialization depicted that households operating at a low level of commercialization were few and there was a slight disparity between the proportion of those that were food secure and those that were food insecure while the majority seemed to operate at a medium level with more of the people attaining food security. On the overall, the proportion of households that were food insecure is more than those that were food secure as indicated by the food insecurity incidence. On the basis of the findings, the study recommended that government and other stakeholders should shoulder the responsibility of developing new initiatives that will transform the smallholders from subsistence oriented to market - oriented production system among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Consumer product-related genital injuries in females across all age groups are understudied. Existing research focuses primarily on paediatric populations. We aimed to determine characteristics, trends and predictors of hospitalisation., Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was queried for female genital injuries from 2013 to 2022. We stratified our population into four age groups (<18, 18-34, 35-54, >54 years). Automated text matching and manual reviews were employed for variable extraction. χ 2 tests and logistic regression were conducted, accounting for survey design and weights., Results: 9054 cases representing a national estimate of 252 329 injuries (95% CI 188 059 to 316 599) were identified. Paediatric injuries were most common (61%) and seniors had the highest hospitalisation rates (28%). Falls were common in paediatric (51%) and senior (48%) groups, whereas self-induced and topical application injuries were more frequent among adults aged 18-34 and 35-54. Injuries predominantly involved playground equipment and bicycles in children, razors and massage devices in adults aged 18-34 and 35-54 and household structures in seniors. Hospitalisation increased over the decade from 7% to 9%; significant predictors of hospitalisation were Asian race (OR=3.39, 95% CI 1.83 to 6.30), fractures (OR=7.98, 95% CI 4.85 to 13.1) and urethral injury (OR=3.15, 95% CI 1.30 to 7.63)., Conclusions: Our study identifies distinct patterns in female genital injuries across ages. In the paediatric cohort, injuries are often linked to playgrounds and bicycles. For adults, grooming products are frequently implicated. Seniors commonly suffer injuries from household structures such as bathtubs. These patterns may inform discussions on tailored preventive strategies., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)