GENDER ANALYSIS IN THE SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN: A CASE OF MVOMERO DISTRICT, TANZANIA EMMANUEL HONGO MROTO A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RURAL (original) (raw)
Related papers
2020
Sunflower value chain represents one among the valuable vegetable oil subsectors worldwide. However, some constrains limit smallholder farmers to effectively participate in the value chain activities in order to generate household incomes and improve their livelihoods. Therefore, the study examined the socioeconomic factors influencing smallholder farmers' participation in sunflower value chain whereby a cross sectional research design and mixed methods approach laid the framework for collection and analysis of data. Data was sourced from 368 smallholder farmers selected by using a systematic sampling technique. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used for qualitative data collection while household survey questionnaire for quantitative data. Constant comparison technique was used to analyse qualitative data and binary logistic regression for quantitative data. Findings indicate that socioeconomic factors including age, education level and possession of agriculture tools significantly (p < 0.05) influenced participation in sunflower value chain. The study concluded that socioeconomic factors collectively other than singlehandedly have a significant influence towards participation in value chain. Since some findings had indications that males dominate productive resources unevenly, it is recommended that gender sensitive approaches should be used to circumvent the biased practices in order to increase participation in sunflower value chain activities.
Gender disparity is a phenomenon that rises above most of the world's societies, religions, countries and wage gatherings. In many social orders, the distinctions and disparities are show in the obligations each are relegated, in the exercises they embrace, in their entrance to and control over assets and in basic leadership openings. This study examined to gender inequalities in women's land use in Agricultural Value Chains in Ainabkoi Sub County, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study was guided by Sen's Entitlement Theory. The study adopted mixed research design. Descriptive research methodology was used to design data collection instruments. The researchers used questionnaire, interview schedule guide, focus group discussion and document analysis to collect data. A sample of 153 was drawn from a population of 1,224 using random and purposive sampling. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Packages of Social Sciences generating descriptive statistics which included percentages, mean and standard deviation. Qualitative data was analyzed by highlighting significant statements and coming up with themes which were used to develop descriptions of the participant experiences and descriptions of the context or settings that influence the experience. These descriptions were unified into structural and textural description giving a unified descriptive account of the quantitative data. The findings showed that gender inequalities were prevalent in land use, financial use and access to extension services among men and women that affect Agricultural Value Chains. The findings of this study will be useful to policy makers in formulating policies that will ensure gender equity in Agricultural Value Chains. The researchers recommend that service providers should foster equitable participation, recognize these gender inequalities as well as activities that meet the needs of both gender with considerations to the customary will. Practitioners should adopt effective communication channels to offer agricultural information. Further studies are required in other counties in this area to determine the inequalities in Agricultural land use and the best way to address them to enable women farmers participate in Agricultural Value Chains.
Women Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains: Voices from Onion Growers in Northern Tanzania
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012
Women empowerment is multifaceted concept; there are many definitions and perceptions that are used by programmes and projects espousing to empower women. This study, using qualitative data sought to assess women perception on empowerment among those involved in onion value chain development activities. The study adopted cross sectional research design where focus group discussions, key informant interviews and case studies were the main methods for data collection. Content analysis with constant comparison technique was used to analyse the data. The study found that women empowerment is linked to different achievement in their lives in their social and economic contexts such as increases in income, confidence to speak in public, awareness of their rights and participation in decision making at the household and community levels. Men's attitude and behaviours such as reluctantancy to accept changes suggested by women and control over income accrued from their activities are among the barrier for women empowerment. The study recommends for use of gender sensitive approaches in designing and implementing development programmes on women empowerment. Men and tribal leaders should be involved in women empowerment initiatives in order to change their mindset towards women empowerment.
Journal of Rural Studies, 2017
In developing economies, well-functioning markets are known to provide the poor with avenues for wealth creation. Using a value chain approach, this paper aims at examining bottlenecks to and opportunities for different categories of women to participate in markets for high value agricultural commodities, with a view to identifying feasible upgrading strategies for the different categories. The findings are based on a case study of Kenya's avocado value chain, which depicts export and domestic market orientation. The data were collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews and household surveys. The results suggest that in the more commercialized and well developed chains like that of export, upgrading strategies vary for the different typologies of women. While women in female headed households may require limited efforts such as tailoring financial products to their needs or providing interlinked services coupled with prompt payment for their produce to allow them to produce quality fruits and access lucrative markets, women in male headed households need institutionalization of gender-sensitive policies in the governance of producer groups to enable them to upgrade as chain integrators and chain owners. In the less commercialized domestic chain, limited efforts may be required to upgrade women along the chain, but the need to change from the less marketable local variety to exotic variety is likely to alter women's position, thereby calling for the need to institutionalize gender-sensitive policies in the governance of existing organized groups and use the groups as a platform to introduce the new variety.
MAPPING OF GENDER ROLES AND RELATIONS ALONG ONION VALUE CHAIN IN NORTHERN TANZANIA
2013
participation in value chain activities. But many value chain programmes are commonly designed and implemented without taking into consideration gender roles and relations. This study analysed onion value chain to determine its impact on gender roles, relations and distribution of income in the chain. The study adopted a mixed-methods design where focus group discussions, key informant interviews and household survey which were the main methods for data collection.
Food Security
Women play important roles at different nodes of both agricultural and off-farm value chains, but in many countries their contributions are either underestimated or limited by prevailing societal norms or gender-specific barriers. We use primary data collected in Asia (Bangladesh, Philippines) and Africa (Benin, Malawi) to examine the relationships between women’s empowerment, gender equality, and participation in a variety of local agricultural value chains that comprise the food system. We find that the value chain and the specific node of engagement matter, as do other individual and household characteristics, but in different ways depending on country context. Entrepreneurship—often engaged in by wealthier households with greater ability to take risks—is not necessarily empowering for women; nor is household wealth, as proxied by their asset ownership. Increased involvement in the market is not necessarily correlated with greater gender equality. Education is positively correlat...
MAINSTREAMING GENDER ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE VALUE CHAIN
review paper, 2023
There is an emerging consensus that promoting gender justice in value chain development is not only a rights issue for women, but makes 'business sense' for households, enterprises, and ultimately the national economy. This paper discusses experiences in mainstreaming gender issues in agricultural value chain with producers and traders of agricultural produce. This value chain development methodology has brought about profound changes for significant numbers of people in a relatively short period of time, on sensitive and potentially contextual issues such as gender-based violence and land ownership as well as decision-making, division of labour, and women's access to health and education. These changes have taken place with the full support of many men who have become enthusiastic promoters of gender equality as part of their own vision of happiness and social justice. Addressing gender inequalities at all levels of the chain forms a 'win-win strategy' which has increased incomes and contributed to upgrading whole value chains and developing the local economy
The European Journal of Development Research
Horticulture is one of the fastest growing subsectors of agriculture in Tanzania. Gender relations in vegetable-producing and vegetable-trading households need to be understood to make value chain development equitable. This study, carried out in northern and central Tanzania, is based on data from surveys, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The perceptions of men and women traders and producers are investigated with regard to labour participation in traditional vegetable value chains and gains (income and expenditure) from it. Farmers were found to report more balanced intra-household labour arrangements paired with less-balanced income and expenditure shares, while traders indicated less-balanced labour contributions that went hand in hand with more-balanced shares of benefits. Farmers related limited household development not only to imbalances in benefits but also to a lack of trust and cooperation between spouses. The importance of gender-transformative approaches in agricultural value chains is emphasized herein.
2021
There is a growing body of literature that argues that normally women derive little benefit from cash crops. Some of the barriers leading to women having less benefit from cash crop value chains include cultural norms and power differences in access to, and control over, resources among actors in value chains. It is also argued that women’s participation in different forms of collective action help women to increase benefits to them through their increased agency, hence enabling them to utilise existing and diverse options for their empowerment. This paper explores how women have benefited from their engagement in sunflower commercialisation and how culture has influenced changes in access to, and control over, resources, including land, for their empowerment.
2020
Although agriculture and forestry sector provides employment to almost two thirds of households, the commercialisation of farming is in its rudimentary stage in Nepal. On the other hand, 28.6 per cent of Nepal’s population is multi-dimensionally poor and 48 per cent households are food insecure. Given that women’s workload and responsibility in the household is significant, promoting economic opportunities for them can make a big difference in the household livelihood and food security. This research investigated the effectiveness of local value chain process in commercialisation of vegetables among targeted women producers in Kailali district of Nepal, towards improved livelihoods and food security. With post-positivism paradigm, this research capitalised QUAN-qual methodology. Based on comparative performance data of 1,469 women producers engaged in vegetable farming, there has been almost three times increase in production of commodity and 78 per cent increase in average revenue ...