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Gender Differences in Agricultural Productivity: The Role of Market Imperfections

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  • Palacios-López, Amparo
  • López, Ramon E.

Abstract

This paper shows the implications of credit and labor market imperfections on gender differences in agricultural labor productivity, especially highlighting how both imperfections negatively affect female productivity by discouraging off-farm income generating activities and restricting access to inputs. The paper theoretically models the relationship between gender differences in agricultural labor productivity and market imperfections and it provides empirical evidence consistent with our theoretical model by decomposing the contribution of different factors to such gender differences. We find that agricultural labor productivity is on average 44 percent lower on plots belonging to female-headed households than on those belonging to male-headed households.

Suggested Citation

  • Palacios-López, Amparo & López, Ramon E., 2014. "Gender Differences in Agricultural Productivity: The Role of Market Imperfections," Working Papers 164061, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:umdrwp:164061
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.164061
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    Cited by:

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    3. Koirala, Krishna H. & Mishra, Ashok K. & Mohanty, Samarendu, 2014. "The Role of Gender in Agricultural Productivity in the Philippines: The Average Treatment Effect," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 195705, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    4. Avila-Santamaria, Jorge & Useche, Pilar, 2016. "Women’s Participation in Agriculture and Gender Productivity Gap: The Case of Coffee Farmers in Southern Colombia and Northern Ecuador," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236156, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Koirala, Krishna H. & Mishra, Ashok K. & Sitienei, Isaac, 2015. "Farm Productivity and Technical Efficiency of Rural Malawian Households: Does Gender Make a Difference?," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 196903, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    6. Keenan, Michael & Pamuk, Haki & Ng'ang'a, Stanley Karanja & Hella, Joseph Phillip, 2021. "Investment and Household Bargaining in Small-scale Farming Households A Lab-in-the-Field Experiment from Rural Tanzania," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315291, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Raghav Gaiha & Shantanu Mathur, 2018. "Agricultural research, technology and nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 292018, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Isis Gaddis & Gbemisola Oseni & Amparo Palacios-Lopez & Janneke Pieters, 2023. "Who Is Employed? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa on Redefining Employment," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(2), pages 151-174.

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    Keywords

    International Development; Labor and Human Capital; Productivity Analysis;
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