INFORMATION NEEDS AND ACCESS TO RURAL WOMEN FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN ENUGU NORTH SENATORIAL ZONE OF ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

The study examined  the information  needs and access to rural women for  community development in Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu State. Six research questions were formulated to guide the study. The specific objectives of the study are to: ascertain the information needs of the rural women, identify sources through which the rural women access information, ascertain the contribution of information to community development, examine  the problem  the women  have in accessing  information  and suggest  ways to enhance women access to information for community development. A descriptive survey was used for the study. The  population of the study consists of 1,809 registered  rural women in Community Based Women Organizations (CBWOs) in the three selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the study, out of which 263 respondents were sampled. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire complemented  with Focus Group Discussion  (FGD).  The  instrument  was  validated  by  three  experts,  two  from  the Department of Library and Information Science, one from Measurement and Evaluation all  from  University  of  Nigeria,  Nsukka.  The  research  instrument   was  personally administered by researcher with help of research assistants to the  respondents within a duration of six weeks. In the analysis of the data and  information obtained through the research instrument and focus group discussion, frequency percentage and weighted mean were used for the quantitative data, while the information gathered from the FGD was qualitatively  analyzed  using  content  analysis  approach.  The  findings  indicated  that women between the age of 35-44 are more in number followed by age range of 45-54, 25-

34, and 65 years and above. Married women are more in number, followed by widows, single mothers and divorced. Those with Non-formal education are more than others in number followed by Primary, and Secondary School Certification  holders. The women are mostly farmers,  petty traders,  self employed  and civil  servants.  The women  need information mainly on agriculture and health. Their major sources of information include town crier, community leaders and religious organizations. Timely and quality access to information  can empower  the  rural  women  to  facilitate  community  programmes  and projects.  There are obvious  limitation to women access  to information  which include basically  lack  of  formal  education  and  lack  of  awareness  on  where  to  get  useful information. Some strategies recommended include exposing the women to formal forms of education,  establishing  Adult Literacy Centres in the communities  and establishing Community Information Centres that will help the women acquire skills and knowledge base that can empower them toward actualizing development goals.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Women in any given society are known to be primarily involved and engage in the  building  of  the  home.  Women  in  Nigeria  are  also  known  to  be  involved  in agriculture and other economic activities which are foundation to the development of the  family  and  the  society.  For  this  reason  they  should  have  access  to  relevant information, knowledge and resources that can assist them to contribute meaningfully to the general  development of the society. Also they are responsible for the provision of  learning  experiences  to  the  children  of  the  family  and  can  contribute  to  the improvement of the family standard of living through their economic activities. Some women have through their activities contributed to the development of their society, this is practically demonstrated by women that are not only educated, but also have distinguished themselves in various professions and public positions where they have made meaningful economic contributions to the development of the society.

Obviously,  this  is the case of women  in Africa  who  have  made  enormous contributions to the pursuit of common good and sustenance of the society. According to Ukwuoma and Njoku (2013), women in Africa have a  pride of place in terms of family upkeep  and  contributions  to  various  aspects  of the economy.  Further,  they noted  that African  women  whether  educated  or  uneducated,  rural or urban based, engaged   in   gainful   employment   and   contribute   directly   or   indirectly   to   the development of the society. They constitute a sizeable number of the active population in agriculture  and  are  responsible  for attending  to  early education  of the  nation’s children.

In Nigeria, women constitute 52% of the entire population and about 45% of

the women live in rural areas (Gambo, 2011). The rural women economic  activities mainly range from petty trading,  vocational  enterprises,  handicraft,  and  farming to agro-processing. In support, Onyenechi (2011) stated that women are also involved in producing agricultural raw materials for industries. Almost all agricultural production and marketing activities including  animal husbandry are  performed  by the women. From  these  economic  activities  by  the  women,  income  are  generated  which  are deployed into development projects in the society.

Though, the rural women are very critical to the development of the  society through their economic activities, they are generally known to be suffering from some deprivations like illiteracy, lack of access to formal education, lack of access to credit facilities, inadequate participation in decision marking process,  inadequate access to employment opportunities and human right discrimination.  Describing this situation, Ukachi (2001), stated that rural women are mainly illiterate group of people that can hardly read nor write and lack the necessary ability and experience required to cope with the challenges arising from the society.

Rural women in the context of this study are women who live in rural areas of Nigeria, most of whom do not have formal education but engage in economic activities that can hardly earn them and their families a decent living.  According  to Alosede (2012)  rural  women  are  usually  illiterates  and  lack  access  to  formal  education. Majority of the rural women speak only the local language in their areas, though there is  constant   communication   with  one   another   at  family  level  and  the  general community. These rural women because of their inadequate access to formal education and literacy programmes, they depend on word of mouth  and other traditional means communications that could improve their living conditions and standards.

Ukwoma and Njoku (2013) discussed the deprivation that women suffer in the

society.  For them,  the rural women have not been generally recognized  by  policy makers, development planners and agricultural service deliverers in decision-making processes,  even  these  that  concern  the  women  directly.  The  women  find  it  very difficulty more than the man in gaining access  to valuable  resources such as land, credit and agricultural input, technology, extension training and information services that could enhance their production capacity. Information can help the rural women to make informed decisions and reduce their level of uncertainty; it can also assist them in their day-to-day activities and for economic development of the society.

Idiegbeyan-Ose  and  Akpoghome  (2009)  stated  that  the  rural  women  need information  on  areas  like  fertilizer  application,  weed  control,  credit  loan  scheme application to farmers and other information that would reposition them  in terms of improving their lives and situation. It is instructive at this point to note that for rural women to contribute  meaningfully  in meeting the needs of  the family and general society, they need information.  Baker (2011) captured it  vividly by stating that the rural women can only perform their primary role in their homes and society when they have access  to quality and sufficient  information.  This means that appropriate  and quality information is an indispensible resource that can empower the women to make valuable and informed decisions about their individual and collective needs.

In an increasingly globalized  and information driven world, information  has become a necessity and valuable commodity to individual, organization and societies in their existence. As such information is considered as a vital resource alongside with land, labour, capital and skills, which are necessary in any human  activities. People need  information  for  their  day  to  day  activities  and  for  development  of  their environment.   Weiss,  Crowder  and  Bernardi  (2000)  describe  information  as  the cornerstone for successful social-economic development because it plays a key role in

decision making.

According to Opeke (2004) information has received a wide spread acceptance as essential feature of production, consumption and exchange in this modern world. The world has entered an era where the source of wealth and power is increasing from information  and human mental  creativity  as compared  to  physical  resources.  As a matter of fact information is a critical factor in the  development process within any human society. Thanuskodi (2012) viewed  information as an important resource that contributes  towards  the  development   of  a  nation.  It  provides  the  care  for  the development  of  knowledge,  the  basis  for  innovation,  the  resources  for  informed citizenry,  and as a result  becomes  a key commodity for the progress  of a society. Ogunrombi and Amudasa (2009) supported the view that information is a source for the growth and development of an individual, organization or a nation. This stand to reason that information is a basic resource, which any persons, groups or communities can  use to improve  significantly  their  living conditions  and also it is very vital to development processes.

According to Federal Republic of Nigeria official Gazzette (2009) information is defined as an organized data recorded in various forms. It is also a raw resource for knowledge. Information is therefore a vital tool for the empowerment of the individual to  enable  them  take  an informed  decision  or  action  for  either  self or community development  purposes.  Information  is a  raw  material for development  for both the urban and rural dwellers.  The  prosperity,  progress  and development  of any nation depend on the nation’s ability to acquire produce and use pertinent information. Apata and Ogunrewo (2010) noted that information remains the lifeblood of any individual or group of people, it is a valuable resource required in any society. Thus acquiring and using information are critical in any human activities.

For the purpose of this study, information means knowledge acquired through a process of interaction, discussion, and other learning situation which an individual can use  to  perform  different  tasks,  make  informed  decisions  and  improve  on existing human conditions and material situations.

Human beings express diverse information needs in their day-to-day activities. Every person needs information for decision making; the type of information needed range from common physiological to individuated  psychological  information needs. Nwangwu (2009) stated that information need refers to the extent to which information is  required  to  solve  problems,  as well  as  the  degree  of  expressed  satisfaction  or dissatisfaction with the information. Reitz (2010) defined information need as a gap in a person’s knowledge that when experienced at the conscious level as a question gives rise  to  a  search  for  an   answer.  After  identification  of  information  needs,  the information user  embarks on a search for information.  The behavioural expressions collectively  known as information  seeking behaviours  resemble problem solving or decision-making process where an individual identifies possible sources, differentiates and chooses a few sources, locates or makes contact with them and interacts with them in order to obtain the desired information.

Lwoga,  Christine,  and  Patrice     (2011),  noted  that  information  needs  in development  context  relate  closely  to  a  person’s  occupation,  the  level  of  socio- economic development, and local agro-ecological conditions. Information needs of the rural poor relate especially closely to their occupations and their basic survival goals. While  physiological  needs  give  rise  to  basic  and  often  shared  information  needs. Individual needs vary from one person to another.

Proper  identification  of  the  rural  women  information  needs  will  reduce uncertainty and enable them to identify alternative solution to problems. Also adequate

provision  of  information  will  also  enable  them  to  acquire  more  knowledge  that empowers   the   women   for   wide-ranging   activities   geared   towards   meaningful development.  However,  it  is  frustrating  to  note  that  rural  women  most  often  are incapable of accessing various information resources and  services,  even where such needed information is available (Zaid and Popoola,  2010). Some of the factors that have been identified as constraints to access and/or utilization of information by the rural  women  are  illiteracy,  poverty,  lack  of  infrastructural  facilities  and  interest. Kamba (2011) mentioned  some of  the limitations as inadequate basic infrastructure (electricity,  telecommunication,   roads  transportation)   low  literacy  level,  lack  of suitable information services and lack of technical competencies as among the barriers to delivery of information services in the   rural areas of developing countries. Most rural  areas  in  Africa  are  not  electrified,  thereby  reducing  access  in  most  rural communities to information exchange and communications.

Obviously,  communication  and information  infrastructure  established  by the government has also been concentrated in urban areas. Rural roads in Africa are often impassable during the raining season, making it difficult for timely delivery of print information  resources needed  for day-to-day decision making.  Mahiwasane  (2008), noted that timely delivery of print information services is of limited value due to the high illiteracy level.

Study by UNESCO (2010), showed that sub-Sahara  Africa  had 153  million people who lacked  the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed  in  everyday life. Information usage may be limited by accessing  irrelevant  information  and by poor information  evaluation  skills.  Literacy  levels  of  information  seekers  also  limit the usage of information. For effective information usage among rural communities, it is important to investigate in detail how specific groups of rural people access and use

information  for meeting their daily information  needs. A study by Dorsch  (2000), identified lack of time, inadequate access to information sources, lack of skills, lost of information  and  geographical  isolation  as  the  major  barriers  to  effective  use  of information.  Moreover  poor  reception,  quality  of  instruments  used  and  difficult technical  language  limit  the  usefulness  of  audio-visual   information  services.  In support of this, Abraham  (2009) noted that information  packaged  and disseminated through modern channels present difficulties in terms of capturing and understanding capabilities to the rural people and this frustrates practical usage of such information. Consequently,  this obvious gap in accessing  information,   cuts the rural people off from socio-economic  opportunities  that  can empower  them towards improving  the living conditions and their social environments. It is plausible to say that availability of information through any source does not mean access to such information. Hence, the key to meeting the information needs of rural women is making needed information not only available but also accessible.  Baker (2011) captured this viewpoint which states  that  for the rural women  to  perform  their  roles and responsibilities  in their homes in particular and generally in the society, there is the need for them to  have access  to quality and sufficient  information.  Information  is therefore  important  for members of any society in maintenance of productivity and self independence. Okiy (2003)  stated  that  information  is  an  important  ingredient  in  development  process, people  in  rural  areas  whether  literate  or  not  should  have  access  to  any  kind  of information, which will help them to become  capable and productive in their social and  political  obligations.  The  discourse  so  far  delineates  the  interface  between information  as  resource  and   development.  Information  does  not  only  form  the foundations for development but also facilitates its process. When people get access to veritable sources of information, which relates to life needs, they became empowered

to improve on their living conditions and the common good.

Development as a concept is multi-dimensional which can be seen in different sphere  of  human  life  and  existence.  Kamba  (2009)  stated  that  development  is  a capacity defined by what a people can do with actual or  potential resources, which they have to improve the quality of their living standard and social well being. This view point expands the meaning of development by relating it to human social well being and welfare.

For the purpose of this study, development is seen as  by which an indivudal process of individual and/or community improves on their standard of living and social well being through  effective  use  of available  resources  both  physical  and  human. Development in this study will be narrowed to community development given the fact that  community  development  as a concept  is  implicated  in the study.  Community development is a structured intervention that gives the community greater control over the conditions that affect their life. Community development according to Aina (2003) is a conscious  and deliberate  effort  aimed  at helping  communities  recognize  their needs and to assure responsibilities for solving their problems thereby increasing their capacity to participate fully in the lives of the nation. Community development here means a  planned process aimed  at improving the quality of life of the people and expanding their natural knowledge, skills and abilities towards shaping their future and achieving  success  in  life’s  endeavours.  This  stands  to  reason  that   community participation  and  involvement   are  the  critical  factors  to   successful   community development programmes or project. Both human and material resources are mobilized and deployed into the process.

In this study, the women are used as the reference social group because of their of wide-ranging contributions in community development programmes, especially in

the rural areas. In discussing development at the community level, the role of women has been  gaining  great  attention;  Women  have  been active  players  in  the Nigeria economy, contributing a lot in agriculture, human and infrastructural  development and For  instance,  Ekong  (2006)  asserted  that  women  are  the  real  engine  driving  the economy of this country and they hold the key to any  activities  geared  – towards sustainable development. Women in every community have been grouping themselves in difference associations and societies where they mobilize resources and engage in activities geared towards improving their standards of living. More so, they embark on projects  which  are  meant  to  meet  their  real  needs.  These  associations  and  /or organizations  have  various  forms,  structure  and  programmes,  which  have  direct relevance on development   in all ramifications.

Women organizations in every community are part of the potential resources for community projects. The women’s groups are organized in form of Community – Based Organizations (CBOS) and/or cooperative societies. These  organizations form the active agents of development  in the rural areas. These  women are made up of mostly low income earner and/or very few high income earners. (Omeje 2004)  sated that most of these women groups are made up of poor women who come together to help  themselves     out  of  poverty    by  collectively  pursuing     economic  interest, empowering their members through training in basic literacy small-scale businesses

,and  financial management.

CBWOs  engaging  in development  projects  show a process of social  action whereby  the  women  of  a  community  organized  themselves  together  and  initiate programmes that can handle some of their life challenges and solve their immediate problems.

For this study, rural women living in communities in Enugu North Senatorial

Zone are the focus group. Enugu North Senatorial Zone is made up of six (6)  local government area which include: Igbo Etiti, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Nsukka, Udenu   and  Uzo-Uwani.   Some  of  the   inhabitant   are  adherent   of   Christianity, Traditional  Religion and Muslims.  There  is homogeneity  in values,  norms, beliefs, dialect, and cultural ceremonies in these communities. Majority of the inhabitant are traders, farmers while very few of them are civil servants.

Geographically, the senatorial zone is located at the North part of Enugu state. It shares boundary with Udi Local Government Area of Enugu state in the South. It also shared boundary with Isi-Uzo Local Government  Area in the East,  Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State in Enugu East Local Government of Enugu State have boundaries with Enugu North Senatorial Zone in the South West and South

– East respectively. Enugu North Senatorial Zone also have boundary with Benue and Kogi in the North East and North West respectively. The choice of the area  Enugu North was informed based on the researcher’s interest and that the conditions of life of the women there depict people that live without the  necessities  of life. They have limited access to resources that can empower  them to effectively improve their life worth  and  environment.  What  more  these  women  are  cut-off  from  the  world  of communication owing to non-availability of communication facilities and even where the facilities exist the women lack the knowledge and skills needed for effective usage. This makes it difficult, if not impossible for them to access the information they need, especially for development purpose.

From the foregoing discussion the researcher becomes motivated to study the information needs and access to rural women for community development in Enugu North Senatorial Zone so as to provide an empirical study on the area.

Statement of the Problem

Information is a critical resource and functional factor in any human endeavor. For any kind of development activities, information is the key and  access to quality and timely information  can facilitate  the pace of development  plan and execution. Access to appropriate information empowers people to take right decisions and actions that  can  transform   their   lives  and   allows   for   greater   sense   of  freedom   and independence.

Women no matter their locations, situations and social-economic  status have been  known  to  engage   in  various  human  activities   which   have   wide-ranging implications  on improvement  of their  living  standard  and  the  development  of the society. Rural women as a matter of reference play key roles in agricultural production and marketing of agricultural product, they have also been reckon with the initiation and implementation of policies and programme  that have help in no small measure towards the development of the society. Giving the women’s vital roles in the society, they need information on areas like family health, food and nutrition family planning and child education,  agricultural  and animal husbandry and employment.  Women’s information needs: personal,  religious, social domestic, professional and medical are important  factors  in  determining  the  quality  of  life  they  live;  their  level  of  (i) productivity and success in any human endeavours.

Access to information is vital to women empowerment to promote their ability to contribute  to the development  of their society.  Today,  it seems that  part of the information required to activate community development are not accessed due to many factors such as illiteracy,  poverty, poor communication  network,  inadequate  power supply, and inability of the government to address the rural needs of the citizens as identified in the literature. Also, it was noted in literature that traditional social cultural

practices limit women opportunities in education, skill, development, employment and participation in the overall development process. This situation nevertheless seem to have created  a wide-ranging  information  gap in the live and activities  of the rural women hence increasing their level of information needs.

Also, it appears that the study of this kind or related subject matter has not been carried out among the rural women in Enugu North Senatorial zone. It is against this backdrop that the study intends to investigate the information needs and access to rural women for community development.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to investigate the information needs and access to rural women for community development in Enugu North senatorial zone of Enugu State.

The specific objectives are to:

1.   To ascertain the characteristics of the rural women in Enugu North Senatorial zonal of Enugu state.

2.   Ascertain the information needs of the rural women in the area

3.   Identify  the  sources  through  which  the  women     access     information  for community development

4.   To ascertain the contributions of information to community development.

5.   Examine  the  problems  the  rural  women  have  in  accessing    information  for community development

6.   Suggest ways to enhance the rural women access to information for community development.

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study

1.   What the characteristic of rural women in Enugu North senatorial zone in Enugu

State?

2.   What are the information needs of the rural women in Enugu North senatorial zone in Enugu State?

3.   What   are  the  sources  available   through   which   the  rural  women   access information?

4.   What are the contributions of information to community development?

5.   What are the problems encountered by the rural women in accessing information for community development?

6.   What are the strategies to enhance the rural women’s access to information?

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study hopefully will be of immense benefit to the  rural women,   organizations   like   Community   Based   Women   Organization   (CBWO), Community Development Unit in the Local Government Area, Academic Institutions and Scholars.

The  results  of  the  study  are  excepted  to  inform  rural  women  about  the information  that can empower  them  to become more useful to themselves,  and to maximize their resources to embark on community development programmes, it will also help identity sources from which needed information can be accessed.

For the Community Based Women Organization, the findings of this study will help the group to see the need to provide quality and timely information for the entire membership, which will impact on their means of livelihood. This study will also help in directing the group to veritable, sources of information that they can be easily access

which is highly profitably towards maximizing their potentials and resources.

For community development unit, it will help them in designing programmes that will be helpful in providing relevant information to the rural women, which is critical in improving their living conditions and situations.

For  academic  institutions  and  scholars  the  findings  will  help  them  set  up structures  and  chart  programme   that  will  bring  vital  development   information packages to rural women that will be beneficial  to them. This  study will serve as reference  materials  for  researchers  in the field  of library  and  information  science, sociology and other related fields of learning. It will also, motivate scholars in library and information science to engage in further studies on the subject of this research or related studies.

Those   in  information   and   library  unit   will  help   them   adopt   strategic programmes that will be geared towards meeting the information needs  of the rural women adequate.

Scope of the Study

This  study focuses    the  information  needs  and  access  to  rural  women  for community development in Enugu North Senatorial zone in Enugu State. The study is limited to information needs, sources through which the women access  information, contribution  of  information  to  community  development,  barriers  to  information accessibility and strategies to enhance their access to information. The study covered data collected from rural women in communities of Enugu North Senatorial zone.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :