Tool kit for Gender and Agriculture - Economic Commission for Africa

12
Gender in Agriculture
Table 1: Returns to Increasing the Human and Physical Capital of Women Farmers
Maize farmers, Kenya,
1976
Food crop farmers, Kenya,
1990
When women farmers
have the following:
The age, education, and
input levels of men farmers
Primary schooling
The age, education, and
input levels of men farmers
The same land area as men
farmers
The fertilizer level used by
men farmers
Source: Moock 1976; Saito, Mekonnen, and Spurling 1992.
Table 2: Positive Results When Attention Is Paid to Gender Equity
Yield increases by this
percent:
9.0
When: Positive Results Are:
Women have better access • They often have a greater increase in productivity
to and control over re-
than men.
sources.
• They employ credit more efficiently than men and
have excellent repayment rates.
Women have more free
time.
• They invest more than men in productive activities.
Women have better access • Production increases.
to and control over their in- • Birth rate decreases as fast as their income income.creases.
• Children’s education increases.
D. Gender Analysis in Project Design
Evidence from many countries shows that women usually do not benefit automatically
from agricultural development projects. Gender-neutral programs can sometimes bypass
or be detrimental to women. Gender analysis as defined below will, therefore,
more often need to focus on women than on men. Special steps to include women and
overcome constraints to their participation are usually needed.
Gender analysis can significantly increase efficiency, sustainability, and equity
in interventions for rural and agricultural development. The aims of using gender
analysis in agriculture are to:
24.0
22.0
10.5
1.6