Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia
Empowering women farmers to participate in agricultural research is a key strategy for sustainable agricultural development. Women empowerment has the potential to improve their roles in agricultural production while enhancing nutrition and food security. Although new agricultural development polici...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2019-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2019.1569578 |
| _version_ | 1797681172807942144 |
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| author | Annet A. Mulema Wellington Jogo Elias Damtew Kindu Mekonnen Peter Thorne |
| author_facet | Annet A. Mulema Wellington Jogo Elias Damtew Kindu Mekonnen Peter Thorne |
| author_sort | Annet A. Mulema |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Empowering women farmers to participate in agricultural research is a key strategy for sustainable agricultural development. Women empowerment has the potential to improve their roles in agricultural production while enhancing nutrition and food security. Although new agricultural development policies are focusing on improving women engagement in agriculture, there is limited literature on women empowerment in relation to agricultural research. This study used mixed methods to analyse women farmers’ participation in four stages of the agricultural research process – design, testing, dissemination, monitoring and evaluation. Two hundred and thirty individual interviews with women farmers and 16 focus group discussions with men and women farmers were conducted in four Woredas (districts) of Ethiopia. Quantitative data were analysed using binary and multivariate probit models. Qualitative data were analysed using line-by-line coding. The results showed that several empowerment indicator variables significantly (p ≤ .001) influenced women’s participation in different stages of agricultural research. Specifically, input in production decisions, autonomy in plot management, membership to farmer groups, and ability to speak in public enhanced women’s participation in different stages, in addition to access to information and extension services, education and land size. Cultural norms hindered women’s empowerment and engagement in research. To foster sustainable agriculture development, it’s important to integrate holistic and proactive gender perspectives into research strategies to increase women’s participation in farmer research groups, access information and knowledge, have voice and challenge constraining cultural norms and traditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:41:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ae406128e4341d5a2ffdfc77145b80c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:41:00Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ae406128e4341d5a2ffdfc77145b80c2023-09-19T15:22:20ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2019-03-0117212714510.1080/14735903.2019.15695781569578Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in EthiopiaAnnet A. Mulema0Wellington Jogo1Elias Damtew2Kindu Mekonnen3Peter Thorne4International Livestock Research InstituteInternational Potato CenterInternational Livestock Research InstituteInternational Livestock Research InstituteInternational Livestock Research InstituteEmpowering women farmers to participate in agricultural research is a key strategy for sustainable agricultural development. Women empowerment has the potential to improve their roles in agricultural production while enhancing nutrition and food security. Although new agricultural development policies are focusing on improving women engagement in agriculture, there is limited literature on women empowerment in relation to agricultural research. This study used mixed methods to analyse women farmers’ participation in four stages of the agricultural research process – design, testing, dissemination, monitoring and evaluation. Two hundred and thirty individual interviews with women farmers and 16 focus group discussions with men and women farmers were conducted in four Woredas (districts) of Ethiopia. Quantitative data were analysed using binary and multivariate probit models. Qualitative data were analysed using line-by-line coding. The results showed that several empowerment indicator variables significantly (p ≤ .001) influenced women’s participation in different stages of agricultural research. Specifically, input in production decisions, autonomy in plot management, membership to farmer groups, and ability to speak in public enhanced women’s participation in different stages, in addition to access to information and extension services, education and land size. Cultural norms hindered women’s empowerment and engagement in research. To foster sustainable agriculture development, it’s important to integrate holistic and proactive gender perspectives into research strategies to increase women’s participation in farmer research groups, access information and knowledge, have voice and challenge constraining cultural norms and traditions.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2019.1569578agricultural researchempowermentfood securitygenderparticipationsustainable agricultureethiopia |
| spellingShingle | Annet A. Mulema Wellington Jogo Elias Damtew Kindu Mekonnen Peter Thorne Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability agricultural research empowerment food security gender participation sustainable agriculture ethiopia |
| title | Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia |
| title_full | Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia |
| title_short | Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia |
| title_sort | women farmers participation in the agricultural research process implications for agricultural sustainability in ethiopia |
| topic | agricultural research empowerment food security gender participation sustainable agriculture ethiopia |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2019.1569578 |
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