Book Description

This paper reviews the major aspects of African women's contribution to food and cash crop production and offers some suggestions to improve their participation in intensification in the smallholder sector. An examination of the sexual division of labor shows that so-called "traditional" patterns have given way to expediency with women involved in all aspects of production either routinely or when male labor is unavailable due to a change in marital status or to out-migration. The semi-autonomous nature of women within the household and the diverse types of households are detailed in order to show the diverse responsibilities of men and women for the procurement of food and other commodities. Although some women earn a good living from agriculture and can assure family food security and/or generate surplus sales, most women tend to be among the lower resource farmers. This is not because they are deficient in farming skills, but because they lack access to labor, land, credit, training, and mechanization, especially in years of agricultural intensification. Stereotypes about women's place often prevent planners and implementors of development projects from incorporating women into plans and programs. Furthermore, agricultural intensification may increase the time women have to spend in farming without providing adequate remuneration. In order to include women in agricultural intensification, certain solutions are given such as disaggregating data by gender, recognizing intrahoushold dynamics in farming research and extension, studying farming roles, reorienting training and extension programs, mainstreaming income generation projects, intensifying capitalization schemes, and researching the farming enterprises associated with women.