OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF WOMEN CASSAVA PRODUCERS IN BITYILI (SOUTH-CAMEROON) AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR GENDER ROLES

In Cameroon, rural women have a significant role in farming and post-harvest activities.
Nevertheless, a complex set of rights and obligations reflecting social and religious norms
prevail within rural communities, these dictate the division of labour between men and
women and act as constraints to women farmers. In fact, women fulfil the reproductive roles
of child bearing, home management and food provision for the family. Thus, these women
are unable to exercise any influential economic voice, they can hardly earn income. Cash
agriculture like cassava production provides a possible outlet for the empowerment of these
women in cassava producing areas. However, this agricultural work would solve one problem
for the women and create another. Any attempt to encourage these women to work outside
their homes may increase their workload. This paper examine the situation of female cassava
farmers in Bityili, a village of South region of Cameroon, by evaluating the gender
specificities within division of labour, daily hours, access and control of resources and
benefits. To address this, 44 women cassava producers-processors were randomly selected
and interviewed. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used, including focus
group discussions, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data
were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results show that although cassava production
may have been beneficial to women and the society as a whole, it has implications for gender
roles that go beyond the purview of women’s empowerment.