What agricultural transition means for women in male-headed households in South Asia: an in-depth exploration of intrahousehold evaluation processes

Abstract

Women’s participation in agriculture is increasing in the Eastern Gangetic Plains due to various external drivers, but they continue to play a limited role in agricultural decision-making. Yet there is limited understanding of the perspectives of spouses in male-headed households post-technology adoption. To understand post-technology adoption experiences of spouses, we conducted qualitative and semi-structured individual interviews with household heads and their spouses in 47 households. This approach aimed to understand their perception on recent adoption of conservation agriculture and its influence on their socio-economic status and roles in agricultural production. Both household heads and their spouses tended to prioritize technological benefits, status change, changing roles and responsibilities at the household level as important contributions/aspects of new conservation agriculture practices. However, upon deeper inspection, women had limited mechanistic understanding compared to men, and their use of free time was situation dependent with location-specific opportunities for women to upskill. Efforts to reduce the information gap and incorporate their technological preferences and needs into future promotional activities are necessary to improve women’s participation in decision-making. Similarly, opportunities to upskill can provide potential opportunities for women to realize their personal aspirations and have a positive influence on their household and community.