Intra-household gender dynamics and the adoption of best practices among teff farmers in Ethiopia

Abstract

Teff farming in Ethiopia is commonly seen as being dominated by men, with women playing supporting roles on some aspects of the growing process. This study is rooted in existing literature on drivers of Best Practices (BP) adoption and decision-making theory and is unique in that it focuses primarily on understanding how gender-specific factors influence decision-making on the adoption of BPs. To this end, the study assessed the intra-household gender dynamics at play within farming households in Amhara, Ethiopia, and their influence on deciding whether or not to adopt agricultural best practices for teff farming. These gender dynamics include the division of labor between women and men, intra-household decision-making processes, social and cultural norms and access factors (such as access to information, training, credit and control over income). Using data from a three-round quantitative survey with one woman and one man in 555 households, as well as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, this study is uniquely placed to assess the impact of these gender-specific and intra-household factors on the adoption of best practices. The findings show that households where women are more involved in teff farming, have less input into decision-making, less control over income, and more access to information and adopt on average more best practices. However, there is significant heterogeneity when looking at individual best practices, with women’s decision-making power or access to resources particularly important for specific practices such as sowing in rows. This study implies that designing more gender-sensitive agricultural programs and extension services in Ethiopia – specifically on practices relevant to women and men – can increase best practice adoption, with the ultimate aim of increasing productivity and income for teff farming households, and empowering women. Since male and female farmers are involved in different practices, access to resources and decision-making power have different impacts depending on the gender of the respondent and the practice analyzed, and there is no “one size fits all” solution to improve teff farming productivity. Key words: intra-household dynamics, decision-making, gender roles, best practice adoption, teff