Beyond the sex of the holder: understanding agricultural production decisions within household farms in Uganda

While gender equality is an integral part of the development conversation, there are still data gaps that inhibit the measurement and analysis of gender-related issues. In particular, traditional agricultural surveys are administered to a representative male "holder" and often do not collect information about who else in the household is managing the different agricultural activities. As a result, they risk misrepresenting women’s participation in agricultural decision-making. This paper examines the extent of such misrepresentation using data from Uganda that included an agricultural decision-making module administered to both the holder and the holder’s spouse. We find that within men’s holdings many decisions are made jointly, and a notable number of decisions are made exclusively by women. We also find that male holders often underestimate their spouse’s management of agricultural activities. The traditional approach thus may conceal the complexity of decision-making in agricultural households and may consequently limit the design and implementation of inclusive agricultural programs.