“Women, Agriculture, and Socio-Economic Transformation among the Wanna Clan of the Eggon People in Nasarawa State, Nigeria”

Women have historically played indispensable roles in the agricultural and economic transformation of African societies. This study examines the socio-economic contributions of women in agriculture among the Wanna Clan of the Eggon people in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, situating their experiences within the wider historical processes of precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial transformation. Through a historical and analytical lens, the research examines how women’s agricultural labour, trade, and indigenous knowledge systems have shaped the economic and social resilience of the Wanna community. Drawing upon oral traditions, archival sources, and secondary literature, this study argues that women’s engagement in agriculture excelled subsistence roles, emerging as a key driver of family welfare, local trade, and rural development. The paper also interrogates the enduring challenges of land tenure, gender inequality, and technological marginalization that have constrained women’s productivity since the colonial period. By highlighting both continuity and change in women’s agricultural participation, this study contributes to broader discourses on gender, rural economy, and African social history, underscoring the need for policies that recognize women not merely as labourers but as agents of socio-economic transformation in agrarian societies.