International Conference on Integrated Systems March 3-6, 2015, IITA Ibadan, Nigeria

Arinloye D.A. (ICRAF-WCA)

Binam J.N (ICRAF-WCA)

Sissoko M.M. (ICRISAT)

Traore P.C.S. (ICRISAT)

Kalinganire A., (ICRAF-WCA)

Savadogo P. (ICRAF-WCA/ICRISAT)

Marketing and management

decisions in the dryland systems

Does women voice count?

State of Gender gaps

• The FAO, SOFA study published in 2012 present evidence showing that whilst women represent 43% of the agricultural workforce in all developing countries they do not have the same access as men to resources.

• Yield gaps between men and women farmers which average around 20-30% (FAO, 2010)

State of Gender gaps

• FAO (2011: 42) estimates that reducing these gender gaps could raise yields on women’s farms by 20-30 percent

• This would raise total agricultural yields in developing countries by 2.5-4 percent, reducing the number of hungry people in the world by 100-150 million.

State of Gender gaps

• In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), gender norms and ideologies give women more autonomy than in South Asia and in North Africa and West Asia.

• SSA women usually have rights to their own plots, animals or commercial enterprises though they have an obligation to work on household crops, livestock or fish activities, and provide labor to their husband's agricultural enterprises

Capacity development : Knowledge-sharing

• Equitable access to improved technologies for women and men

• Development and testing of transformative gender approaches

Capacity building on leadership: minimum request of 3/10 participants been women per village target 5/10

Strategic gender research

• What are the role played by and place reserved for women in natural resources management in the drylands Systems?

• What are the complexities of decision making and management powers of women related to natural resources management and crop-tree-livestock production in DS

Key research questions

520 Households

6089 individuals:

1866 from 2 Mali sites

3448 from 4 Nigeria sites

336 from 2 Niger sites

439 from 2 Ghana sites

+ Focus group discussions

Decision taking in the households: Ghana

%Male (n=212)

%Female (n=221) Sig.

Taking decision on Nothing 53.11 46.89 (2.05)ns

Staple crops selection and management 55.29 44.71 (1.75)ns

Cash crops selection and management 50 50 ( 0.002)ns

Staple crops marketing 29.63 70.37 (9.1)** Management of small ruminants 82.61 17.39 ( 9.54)***

Management of large ruminants 66.67 33.33 (0.77)ns Marketing of small ruminants 83.33 16.67 ( 1.84)ns

Management of water for agriculture 16.67 83.33 (2.52)ns

Management of water for consumption 4.35 95.65 (10.9)***

Non-farm activities 50 50 (0.002)ns

Household income allocation 55.56 44.44 (0.16)ns

Decision taking in the households: Mali

%Male %Female Sig. (n=967) (n=877)

Taking decision on Nothing 50.15 49.85 ( 9.13)***

Staple crops selection and management 97.67 2.33 (75.2)***

Cash crops selection and management 33.33 66.67 ( 7.79)***

Staple crops marketing 100 0 -

Cash crops marketing 100 0 - Management of small ruminants 83.33 16.67 (9.54)***

Management of large ruminants 97.06 2.94 (28.1)*** Marketing of small ruminants 100 0 -

Marketing of large ruminants 100 0 -

Management of water for agriculture 100 0 -

Management of water for consumption 20.83 79.17 (8.79)***

Non-farm activities 86.36 13.64 (10.5)***

Household income allocation 11.63 88.37 ( 28.79)***

Decision taking in the households: Niger

%Male %Female

Sig. (n=156) (n= 150)

Taking decision on Nothing 52.14 47.86 (0.53)ns

Staple crops selection and management 85.71 14.29 (3.64)*

Staple crops marketing 100 0 -

Cash crops marketing 0 100 - Management of small ruminants 14.29 85.71 (3.64)*

Management of large ruminants 100 0 - Marketing of small ruminants 100 0 -

Management of water for consumption 20.83 79.17 (8.79)***

Non-farm activities 33.33 66.67 (0.67)ns

Decision taking in the households: Nigeria

%Male %Female Sig. (n=1795) (n=1637)

Taking decision on Nothing 43.34 56.66 (397.5)***

Staple crops selection and management 97.24 2.76 ( 122.5)***

Cash crops selection and management 86.96 13.04 ( 33.8)***

Staple crops marketing 100 0 (51.9)***

Cash crops marketing 100 0 ( 45.3)*** Management of small ruminants 67.48 32.52 (11.7)***

Management of large ruminants 91.94 8.06 (39.7)*** Marketing of small ruminants 100 0 (45.3)***

Marketing of large ruminants 90.16 9.84 ( 35.6)ns

Non-farm activities 63.64 36.36 (0.56)ns

Household income allocation 100 0 (2.73)*

Does women voice count?

• Overall, women have very little control over marketing decisions, except in Niger where women were found to control cash crop marketing (i.e. millet, cowpea and sorghum)

• In Ghana, staple food crop marketing was under the control of women

• Being in charge of marketing does not necessarily mean that women have equal control over the income generated from the sales

Does women voice count?

• Women in Ghana choose the markets for selling, bargain the prices with the buyers, but then return generated income to the male household head after transactions

• High variability according to the type of decisions, and important differences between countries and ethnic groups, suggesting

• Need to for a context specific understanding of women’s decision making powers

For more information

a.arinloye@cgiar.org

ICRAF-West and Central Africa, Sahel Bamako, Mali

Further reading

Degrande, A. and Arinloye, D.-D.A. 2014 Gender in Agroforestry: Implications for Action-Research. Nature & Faune, 29(1) 6-11

Thank you