Iyabo Bosede Adeoye is convinced that agricultural economists should create employment for other people, and she is helping to do just that. “I believe that it is very important to know what consumers, including farmers, want,” she says.
Adeoye’s research is focused on value-chain analysis, cropping systems, postharvest losses, value addition, and creating market access for smallholder farmers. “Food and nutrition security, and poverty reduction are major issues in my country, so this is why I have pursued this line of research. I am especially concerned about developing a multi-stakeholder process to reduce postharvest losses,” she explains. “My goal is to foster a better understanding of market-access issues in rural communities, particularly among women and resource-poor youth who are engaged in horticultural production.”
Adeoye says inadequate market access is the bane of rural and horticultural development. “To foster efficient use of resources, it is essential to empower women to participate in activities other than simply production along the value chain,” she says.
Field of Research
Analysis of competitiveness, value chains, effects of trade policies, and gender dimensions of horticultural crops among smallholder farmers, particularly women, in Nigeria.