Abstract
Better understanding of gender differences in the adoption of agricultural intensification strategies is crucial for designing effective policies to close the gender gap while sustainably enhancing farm productivity. We examine gender differences in adoption rates, likelihood and determinants of adopting strategy sets that enhance yields, protect crops, and restore soils in the West African Sahel, based on analysis of cereal production in Burkina Faso. Applying a multivariate probit model to a nationally representative household panel, we exploit the individual plot as unit of analysis and control for plot manager characteristics along with other covariates. Reflecting the socio-cultural context of farming combined with the economic attributes of inputs, we find that female managers of individual cereal fields are less likely than their male counterparts to adopt yield-enhancing and soil-restoring strategies, although no differential is apparent for yield-protecting strategies. More broadly, gender-disaggregated regressions demonstrate that adoption determinants differ by gender. Plot manager characteristics, including age, marital status, and access to credit or extension services do influence adoption decisions. Furthermore, household resources influence the probability of adopting intensification strategy sets differently by gender of the plot manager. Variables expressing the availability of household labor strongly influence the adoption of soil-restoring strategies by female plot managers. By contrast, household resources such as extent of livestock owned, value of non-farm income, and area planted to cotton affect the adoption choices of male plot managers. Rectifying the male bias in extension services along with improving access to credit, income, and equipment to female plot managers could contribute to sustainable agricultural intensification.
Highlights
With uncertain rainfall and degraded soils, farmers in the West African Sahel have devised techniques for managing their land and water intensively in order to feed their families (e.g., Reij, Tappan, & Smale, 2009)
Given the key role that women play in food security on smallholder farms (e.g., Quisumbing et al, 2014), better understanding of gender differences in the adoption of intensification strategies is crucial for designing effective policies to close the gender gap while sustainably enhancing farm productivity
We contribute to the literature on the gender gap in technology adoption by controlling for the sex of the plot manager along with other plot manager characteristics
Summary
With uncertain rainfall and degraded soils, farmers in the West African Sahel have devised techniques for managing their land and water intensively in order to feed their families (e.g., Reij, Tappan, & Smale, 2009). Several recent studies have examined the determinants of adoption of multiple yield-enhancing, protective, and/or conserving strategies, especially in Eastern and Southern Africa (Kamau, Smale, & Mutua, 2014; Kassie, Jaleta, Shiferaw, Mmbando, & Mekuria, 2013; Lambrecht, Vanlauwe, & Maertens, 2016; Ndiritu, Kassie, & Shiferaw, 2014; Teklewold, Kassie, Shiferaw, & Kohlin, 2013; Wainaina, Tongruksawattana, & Qaim, 2016), and to a lesser extent in the West African Sahel (Asfaw, Di Battista, & Lipper, 2016) Most of those studies have controlled for gender of the farmer or household head, better understanding of gender differences in technology adoption has not been their main focus, with the exception of Ndiritu et al (2014)’s work in Kenya and the study by Lambrecht et al (2016) in DR Congo. We use a nationally representative household panel to exploit the individual plot as a unit of analysis and control for additional plot manager characteristics along with other covariates
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