IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i16p4304-d256074.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Women in Production and Management of RTB Crops in Rwanda and Burundi: Do Men Decide, and Women Work?

Author

Listed:
  • Joshua Sikhu Okonya

    (International Potato Center (CIP), P.O. Box 22274, Kampala, Uganda)

  • Netsayi Noris Mudege

    (International Potato Center (CIP), P.O. Box 25171, 00603 Nairobi, Kenya)

  • Anne M. Rietveld

    (Bioversity International, P.O. Box 24384, Kampala, Uganda)

  • Anastase Nduwayezu

    (Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB), P.O. Box 73, Ruhengeri, Rwanda)

  • Déo Kantungeko

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P.O. Box 1894, Bujumbura, Burundi)

  • Bernadette Marie Hakizimana

    (Institut des Sciences Agronomique du Burundi (ISABU), BP 795 Bujumbura, Burundi)

  • John Njuki Nyaga

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya)

  • Guy Blomme

    (Bioversity International, c/o ILRI, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

  • James Peter Legg

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P.O. Box 34441, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

  • Jürgen Kroschel

    (International Potato Center (CIP), NASC Complex, DPS Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110012, India)

Abstract

This paper evaluates the determinants of decision-making in relation to the production of four crops (banana, cassava, potato, and sweet potato). Understanding the division of labor and decision-making in crop management may lead to designing better interventions targeted at improving efficiency in smallholder agriculture. In 2014, the research team conducted a quantitative household survey with heads of households involving 261 women and 144 men in Burundi and 184 women and 222 men in Rwanda. Most of the decisions and labor provision during the production of both cash crops (potato and banana) and food crops (sweet potato and cassava) were done jointly by men and women in male-headed households. Higher values for ‘credit access’, ‘land size’, and ‘farming as the main occupation of the household head’ increased the frequency of joint decision-making in male-headed households. A decline in the amount of farm income reduced the participation of men as decision-makers. A reduction in total household income and proximity to the market was correlated with joint decision-making. Gender norms also contributed to the lower participation of women in both decision-making and labor provision in banana and potato cultivation. Although a large proportion of decisions were made jointly, women perceived that men participate more in decision-making processes within the household during the production of cash crops. Increased participation by women in decision-making will require an active and practical strategy which can encourage adjustments to existing traditional gender norms that recognize men as the main decision-makers at both the household and community levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua Sikhu Okonya & Netsayi Noris Mudege & Anne M. Rietveld & Anastase Nduwayezu & Déo Kantungeko & Bernadette Marie Hakizimana & John Njuki Nyaga & Guy Blomme & James Peter Legg & Jürgen Kroschel, 2019. "The Role of Women in Production and Management of RTB Crops in Rwanda and Burundi: Do Men Decide, and Women Work?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:16:p:4304-:d:256074
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/16/4304/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/16/4304/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McFadden, Daniel L., 1984. "Econometric analysis of qualitative response models," Handbook of Econometrics, in: Z. Griliches† & M. D. Intriligator (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 24, pages 1395-1457, Elsevier.
    2. Palacios-Lopez, Amparo & Christiaensen, Luc & Kilic, Talip, 2017. "How much of the labor in African agriculture is provided by women?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 52-63.
    3. Daniel Ayalew Ali & Klaus Deininger & Marguerite Duponchel, 2014. "Credit Constraints and Agricultural Productivity: Evidence from rural Rwanda," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(5), pages 649-665, May.
    4. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Pandolfelli, Lauren, 2010. "Promising Approaches to Address the Needs of Poor Female Farmers: Resources, Constraints, and Interventions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 581-592, April.
    5. Fidele Byiringiro & Thomas Reardon, 1996. "Farm productivity in Rwanda: effects of farm size, erosion, and soil conservation investments," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 15(2), pages 127-136, November.
    6. Elizabeth Francis, 1998. "Gender and rural livelihoods in Kenya," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 72-95.
    7. Kenneth E. Train, 1998. "Recreation Demand Models with Taste Differences over People," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 74(2), pages 230-239.
    8. Bina Agarwal, 1997. "''Bargaining'' and Gender Relations: Within and Beyond the Household," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1-51.
    9. Deborah Bryceson, 1999. "African rural labour, income diversification & livelihood approaches: a long‐term development perspective," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(80), pages 171-189.
    10. Mabsout, Ramzi & van Staveren, Irene, 2010. "Disentangling Bargaining Power from Individual and Household Level to Institutions: Evidence on Women's Position in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 783-796, May.
    11. D'Haese, Marijke F.C. & Speelman, Stijn & Vandamme, Ellen & Nkunzimana, Tharcisse & Ndimubandi, Jean & D'Haese, Luc, 2010. "Recovering from conflict: an analysis of food production in Burundi," 2010 AAAE Third Conference/AEASA 48th Conference, September 19-23, 2010, Cape Town, South Africa 96829, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    12. Doss, Cheryl R., 2001. "Designing Agricultural Technology for African Women Farmers: Lessons from 25 Years of Experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(12), pages 2075-2092, December.
    13. Jock R. Anderson, 2004. "Agricultural Extension: Good Intentions and Hard Realities," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 19(1), pages 41-60.
    14. Agnes Quisumbing & Deborah Rubin & Cristina Manfre & Elizabeth Waithanji & Mara van den Bold & Deanna Olney & Nancy Johnson & Ruth Meinzen-Dick, 2015. "Gender, assets, and market-oriented agriculture: learning from high-value crop and livestock projects in Africa and Asia," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(4), pages 705-725, December.
    15. Conny J. M. Almekinders & Steve Walsh & Kim S. Jacobsen & Jorge L. Andrade-Piedra & Margaret A. McEwan & Stef Haan & Lava Kumar & Charles Staver, 2019. "Why interventions in the seed systems of roots, tubers and bananas crops do not reach their full potential," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(1), pages 23-42, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ebelechukwu Maduekwe & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2023. "The effect of negative human recognition on farmland access and well‐being: Evidence from women farmers in Malawi," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 112-133, February.
    2. Doss, Cheryl, 2013. "Intrahousehold bargaining and resource allocation in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6337, The World Bank.
    3. Rieko Shibata & Sarah Cardey & Peter Dorward, 2020. "Gendered Intra‐Household Decision‐Making Dynamics in Agricultural Innovation Processes: Assets, Norms and Bargaining Power," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(7), pages 1101-1125, October.
    4. Ingutia, Rose & Sumelius, John, 2021. "Do farmer groups improve the situation of women in agriculture in rural Kenya?," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 25(1), June.
    5. Vandercasteelen, Joachim & Dereje, Mekdim & Minten, Bart & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum, 2016. "Row planting teff in Ethiopia: Impact on farm-level profitability and labor allocation," ESSP working papers 92, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Joachim Vandercasteelen & Mekdim Dereje & Bart Minten & Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, 2018. "Labour, profitability and gender impacts of adopting row planting in Ethiopia," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 45(4), pages 471-503.
    7. Andersson Djurfeldt, Agnes & Djurfeldt, Göran & Bergman Lodin, Johanna, 2013. "Geography of Gender Gaps: Regional Patterns of Income and Farm–Nonfarm Interaction Among Male- and Female-Headed Households in Eight African Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 32-47.
    8. Kondylis, Florence & Mueller, Valerie & Sheriff, Glenn & Zhu, Siyao, 2016. "Do Female Instructors Reduce Gender Bias in Diffusion of Sustainable Land Management Techniques? Experimental Evidence From Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 436-449.
    9. Astrid Sneyers & Anneleen Vandeplas, 2013. "Girl Power in Agricultural Production: How Much Does it Yield? A Case-Study on the Dairy Sector in India," LICOS Discussion Papers 34113, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    10. Hannah Gichungi & Beatrice Muriithi & Patrick Irungu & Gracious Diiro & John Busienei, 2021. "Effect of Technological Innovation on Gender Roles: The Case of Fruit Fly IPM Adoption on Women’s Decision-Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 407-426, June.
    11. Alwang, Jeffrey & Larochelle, Catherine & Barrera, Victor, 2017. "Farm Decision Making and Gender: Results from a Randomized Experiment in Ecuador," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 117-129.
    12. Fisher, Monica & Kandiwa, Vongai, 2014. "Can agricultural input subsidies reduce the gender gap in modern maize adoption? Evidence from Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 101-111.
    13. Isabel Lambrecht & Monica Schuster & Sarah Asare Samwini & Laura Pelleriaux, 2018. "Changing gender roles in agriculture? Evidence from 20 years of data in Ghana," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(6), pages 691-710, November.
    14. Uzoamaka Joe-Nkamuke & Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju & Esther Njuguna-Mungai & Kai Mausch, 2019. "Is there any gender gap in the production of legumes in Malawi? Evidence from the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition model," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 69-92, December.
    15. Beatrice W. Muriithi & Gracious M. Diiro & Menale Kassie & Geoffrey Muricho, 2018. "Does gender matter in the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies? A case of push-pull technology in Kenya," Working Papers PMMA 2018-05, PEP-PMMA.
    16. Lambrecht, Isabel & Vanlauwe, Bernard & Maertens, Miet, 2014. "What is the sense of gender targeting in agricultural extension programs? Evidence from eastern DR Congo," Working Papers 167158, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    17. Saskia Vossenberg, 2018. "Frugal Innovation Through a Gender Lens: Towards an Analytical Framework," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(1), pages 34-48, January.
    18. Daniel McFadden & Kenneth Train, 2000. "Mixed MNL models for discrete response," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(5), pages 447-470.
    19. Selorm Kobla Kugbega & Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, 2023. "Gendered dynamics of state‐led smallholder commercialisation in Ghana. The case of Nkoranza traditional area," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(5), pages 716-737, July.
    20. Uzoamaka Joe-Nkamuke & Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju & Esther Njuguna-Mungai & Kai Mausch, 2019. "Is there any gender gap in the production of legumesin Malawi? Evidence from the Oaxaca–Blinderdecomposition model," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 100(1-4), pages 69-92.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:16:p:4304-:d:256074. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.