Assessment of Household Postharvest Management Practices among Rural Women in Kwara State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Post-Harvest Research, 3(3), 64-71.

Adequate postharvest handling is crucial for household food security and prevents unanticipated losses. This study aimed to assess postharvest practices among rural women in Kwara State. The study specifically outlined the respondents' socio-economic characteristics, identified postharvest activities at the household level, and investigated the sources of information on postharvest management practices among rural women. Using a three-stage random sampling technique, 160 respondents were selected from eight rural communities in Kwara State. The respondents' information was gathered using a structured interview schedule. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, and the hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC). The results showed that the respondents' average age was 46.3 years, 75.6% were married, and 43.8% had a secondary school certificate. Radio is the most popular source of information on postharvest practices (MS=2.74). The predominant postharvest practices utilized by rural women at the household level are sorting (MS=2.96), drying (MS=2.69), and storage (MS=2.63). A significant relationship exists between respondents' strategies for reducing postharvest loss of farm products and their age (r = 0.246, p < 0.05), education level (r = 0.294, p < 0.01), household size (r = 0.352, p < 0.01), access to extension agents (r = 0.421, p < 0.01) and information sources (r = 0.213, p < 0.05). Rural women used postharvest techniques, including sorting, threshing, cleaning, drying, storing, and marketing. Therefore, information on these postharvest practices should be communicated via radio to reach a significant number of rural women.