Gender equality in agriculture: What are really the benefits for sub-Saharan Africa? (original) (raw)
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The gender gap in agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa: causes, costs and solutions
UN Women Policy Brief, 2019
Across sub-Saharan Africa, the agricultural sector remains critical to local and regional economies. It is the basis for food security and an important source of employment, particularly for women. Yet, studies consistently find that female farmers have lower rates of agricultural productivity than male farmers. Based on original research in five countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania), this policy brief shows that gender gaps in agricultural productivity do not arise because women are less efficient farmers but because they experience inequitable access to agricultural inputs, including family labour, high-yield crops, pesticides and fertilizer. Equalizing women's access to agricultural inputs, including time-saving equipment, and increasing the return to these inputs is therefore critical to close gender gaps in agricultural productivity. It also promises to yield important economic and social gains. Across the five countries, it could raise crop production by up to 19 per cent, boost agricultural and overall GDP and lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty.
UN Women Nairobi Regional Policy Brief, 2019
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, women farmers have substantially lower rates of productivity than men — a phenomenon which has been noted, documented and measured in studies stretching back to the 1990s (e.g. Saito, Mekonnen and Spurling, 1994). These gender gaps in agricultural productivity have arisen not because women inequitable access to land and to agricultural inputs. Such unbalanced distribution frequently stems from and is bolstered by deeply entrenched sociocultural norms and traditional expectations of gender roles. This structure of constraints is multifaceted. For example, women are more income- and time-constrained than men, which has repercussions on their ability to access credit, land and appropriate levels of inputs. These constraints thus lead to sizeable gender gaps in the adoption of high-value crops and in the use of agricultural implements, male family labour, pesticides and fertilizer, among other elements.
Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (The), 1970
This article examines why, in most African countries, women farmers achieve lower productivity in agriculture than men. It contributes to this debate by interrogating whether or not addressing gender gaps in agricultural production significantly contributes to socio-economic well-being (resilience) of women as well as the gross domestic product (GDP). The Living Standards Measurement Studies-Integrated Survey for Agriculture projects was adopted to produce estimates for three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda). The article draws from a research report and collaborative study by UN Women with UNEP and World Bank. The result shows that although female farmers individually manage slightly more than 25 per cent of all plots in Malawi and Uganda and about 20 per cent of all plots in Tanzania, Malawi shows the largest difference in mean productivity where women’s plots are, on average, 28 per cent less productive than men’s while Tanzania and Uganda reported 16 ...
The cost of the gender gap in agricultural productivity: five African countries
UN Women Policy Report, 2018
A growing body of evidence points to a salient feature of the agricultural sector across Sub-Saharan Africa: lower rates of agricultural productivity for female cultivators than for male cultivators. Substantial gender gaps in productivity have arisen not because women are less efficient farmers, but because women experience inequitable access to land and to agricultural inputs. Such unbalanced distribution frequently stems from and is bolstered by deeply entrenched sociocultural norms and traditional expectations of gender roles. This structure of constraints is multifaceted. For example, women are more income- and time-constrained than men, which has repercussions on their ability to access credit, land and appropriate levels of inputs. These constraints thus lead to sizeable gender gaps in the adoption of high-value crops and in the use of agricultural implements, male family labour, pesticides and fertilizer, among other elements.
Gender productivity differentials among smallholder farmers in Africa: A cross-country comparison
2015
This article investigates gender inequality in agricultural productivity, highlights its key determinants, and approximates the potential production, consumption, and poverty gains from reducing or closing the gender productivity gap. The analysis is performed on the basis of representative household survey datasets recently collected in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. In these countries, agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy and understanding the extent and sources of gender productivity gaps is crucial for building policy interventions and empowering women. Our econometric approach consists initially in estimating a model of agricultural productivity to uncover the impact of gender of the land manager. Then, mean and quantile-based decomposition approaches are applied to each country separately to underscore the sources of gender differences in agriculture. Using the estimated productivity differentials, we finally measure the potential benefits that each country could ob...
Gender Disparities and the Role of Women in Smallholder Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
International Journal of Science and Research, 2016
Gender equality is a basic human right that requires that men and women be treated equally with respect to resources, legislation and policies. Gender-based discrimination results in serious gaps in political, social and economic participation. In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture is the livelihood of nearly 70% of the economically active population. For the rural poor, agriculture is the main source of employment and income, although the income generated is low. A host of factors leading to low yields means that many households continue to be food insecure. High rates of hunger are strongly linked to gender inequality. The agricultural sector is underperforming in many sub-Saharan African countries, in part because women do not have equal access to the resources and opportunities they need to become more productive. Women smallholder farmers in the sub-Saharan African region face numerous constraints. They may have access to land but very few actually own or have title to it; their plots tend to be less fertile than those belonging to men; they have fewer farm tools and equipment; and limited access to farm credit, inputs, technologies and information. In addition, women farmers lack access to improved seeds, reliable water supplies, markets, financing and insurance options, and moreover, suffer from unsupportive public policies. Furthermore, smallholder African women farmers often do not get paid for the farm work that they do, nor do they always earn and control the income from sales, a factor that may affect their incentives to effectively participate in agricultural production. Research also shows that development policies and practices often exacerbate the situation as they do not offer women farmers equal access to development resources, training and information, thereby limiting their opportunities and ability to contribute to agricultural development, food security and poverty reduction. The household and societal pay-offs to reducing women's constraints in productive activities are significant. Closing the agricultural gender gap would result in significant gains for the agricultural sector as well as society as a whole. Increasing the opportunities for women can have a powerful impact on productivity and agricultural-led growth. Women are just as efficient agricultural producers as men and can achieve similar yields when given access to resources, including training and services.
Investigating the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity: Evidence from Uganda
Policy Research Working Papers, 2015
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Sources of gender productivity differentials in Africa: A cross-country comparison
2016
This economic brief provides recent evidence on the extent of gender inequality in agricultural productivity and decomposes its main sources. The empirical analysis relies on micro-level survey datasets recently collected in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. In these countries, agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy and understanding the extent and sources of gender productivity gaps is crucial for building policy interventions and empowering women.....
GENDER EQUALITY IN AGRICULTURE: A Tool for Sustainable Economic Growth
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015
This study analyzes the effect of gender inequality in agriculture and how it has impede Nigeria economic growth, gender inequality in agriculture affects women across rural and urban area. Data were collected from the rural famers (women) on issues relating to gender inequality especially women. One hundred copies of questionnaire were administered but only eighty-six were retrieved. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were also carried out among farmers. Returned instruments were analyzed using simple percentage and the pearson product moment correlation analysis. The major finding is that gender inequalities is high in Agricultural sector and thus, hamper economic growth in Nigeria. We therefore recommend that for Nigeria steady economic growth to translate positively to the socioeconomic of her citizens the war against gender inequality should go beyond sectors or zones, it should be generally pursued. Also for the goals of the Transformation Agenda to be fully realized, the current situation of women must be factored into policy formulation and implementation.