Gender and Agricultural Productivity

Abstract

A growing literature on agricultural productivity in low- and middle-income countries has asked whether the gender of farmers may influence the level or growth rate of productivity. Using new data at the plot level, researchers have compared the productivity of plots managed by men and women. Expanding these analyses to include jointly managed and collectively managed plots has provided new insights. A promising trend, especially for contexts where family farms are managed as a unit, is to consider the productivity implications of specific characteristics of household members and their roles in farming. Women's empowerment and expanded roles in decision-making have been shown to improve household-level agricultural productivity. But as rural landscapes are transforming, it is also important to consider the gender and productivity issues arising in commercial and medium-scale farms, in contract farming and outgrower schemes, and in wage labor in agriculture. This article identifies both the potentials and limitations of different research methods and approaches.