Gender in Afghanistan's Wheat and Agricultural Literature- How to Get to Empowerment?

Abstract

This review of 45 documents demonstrates the massive evidence gap in gender relations in Afghanistan agriculture. Women face greater constraints than men in generating an income from agriculture, especially if single, but how this has changed over time and many other assumptions require empirical study. Furthermore, how to empower women economically in a patriarchal society is unclear, but the literature suggests that masculinity studies may present some answers. The review highlights the methodological challenges associated with conducting gender sensitive research in Afghanistan and the way misunderstood gender relations create further development challenges. Many questions remain about the role of agriculture in Afghanistan livelihoods and how this shapes, and is shaped by, gender relationships. Moreover, what an agenda for women’s empowerment should look like in Afghanistan’s rural farming communities remains unclear from the review. Empowering women in Afghan’s agriculture sector requires considerable experimentation, more data and contextually relevant, carefully designed programs. The review is relevant to development practitioners, researchers and agricultural scientists working in Afghanistan.