Development Policy Review · 2017 · 300 citations · 30 references
AgricultureAgricultural EconomicsGender StudiesAgricultural DevelopmentAgricultural PolicyFarm ManagementAgricultural Household EconomicsAgricultural Production EconomicsAgricultural Production SystemsFarm Household EconomicsFarm ProductivityGender And WorkAgricultural Productivity EffectsGender Roles In AgricultureGendered Agricultural LaborGendered ConstraintsProductivitySmallholder FarmersWomen FarmersWomen's Access To Resources
Existing research compares women‑ and men‑managed plots while overlooking households where both manage production, and offers limited evidence on optimal target groups for productivity gains. The study questions whether agricultural development programmes should target women to boost productivity and analyzes the challenges of distinguishing women's productivity from men's. The authors analyze methodological challenges in separating women's agricultural productivity from men's. Empirical evidence is scarce on which groups benefit most, and programmes that ignore gendered responsibilities, resources, and constraints are unlikely to succeed in boosting productivity or benefiting all smallholder farmers.
Abstract Should agricultural development programmes target women in order to increase productivity? This article analyzes the challenges in distinguishing women's agricultural productivity from that of men. Most of the literature compares productivity on plots managed by women with those managed by men, ignoring the majority of agricultural households in which men and women are both involved in management and production. The empirical studies which have been carried out provide scant evidence for where the returns to projects may be highest, in terms of who to target. Yet, programmes that do not consider gendered responsibilities, resources and constraints, are unlikely to succeed, either in terms of increasing productivity or benefitting men and women smallholder farmers.
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