New study: conservation agriculture needs gender-sensitive research agenda
David Valentin Schweiger(CCAFS Coordinating Unit)
Conservation agriculture demands new ways of working with farm systems. Business-as-usual could mean women farmers will be marginalised, a new study suggests.
by David Valentin Schweiger (CCAFS)
When farmer education programs fail to address traditional gender roles and relations, this may 'sideline women', argues a new study by scientists from the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
"Conservation agriculture", as Julie Mollins writes on the CIMMYT website, "involves minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and the use of crop rotation to simultaneously maintain and boost yields, increase profits and protect the environment. It contributes to improved soil function and quality, which can improve resilience to climate variability."
The new paper, called Gender and conservation agriculture in east and southern Africa: towards a research agenda, laments that there is a lack of research on the interactions between gender and the the use of conservation agriculture. It therefore proposes a research agenda aimed at better comprehending the strongly gender-stratified African farming systems.
Despite their benefits, conservation agriculture interventions are not gender-neutral in terms of economic costs and benefits, labour and capital requirements, or empowerment. Yet, there seems to be little recognition of these gendered differences in the implementation of such interventions.
Citing co-author Clare Stirling, Mollins writes that agricultural policymakers and service suppliers throughout sub-Saharan Africa are "locked into the conceptual norm of the primary farmer as male", despite an increased amount of female smallholder farmers in the region.
Continue reading the original piece by Julie Mollins Gender bias may limit uptake of climate-smart farm practices, study shows on the CIMMYT website.
Learn more
Read blog story: Conservation agriculture: a climate-smart way to improve water management
Download report: Meta-analysis of crop responses to conservation agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
Read blog story: Does conservation agriculture work for smallholder farmers in Africa? New report highlights key points for action
David Valentin Schweiger is a Communications and Outreach Student Assistant at the CCAFS Coordinating Unit in Copenhagen.
