10 pages, With a focus on the Commonwealth of Virginia, we reviewed literature and data associated with the prevalence and persistence of women's engagement in agriculture from youth-focused programs through to college and employment in order to learn which models of outreach may best attract women to and retain women in agricultural careers. We found that girls in Virginia have strong participation in early agriculture-related activities but that women constitute the minority of primary farm owners. Our systematic literature review shows that using science, technology, engineering, and math models of outreach and reframing agriculture as a career that builds communities and cares for the planet can engage more women in agriculture.
11pgs, Many tropical countries are experiencing massive land-use change with profound environmental and socioeconomic implications. In Indonesia, oil palm cultivation is rapidly expanding at the expense of more traditional crops – such as rubber and rice – and forest land. While environmental effects of the oil palm boom were analyzed in many studies, much less is known about social effects. Here, we analyze how oil palm cultivation by smallholder farmers is associated with nutrition through changing income and gender roles. The analysis uses panel data collected in Jambi Province, Sumatra, one of the hotspots of Indonesia's recent oil palm boom. Regression models show that oil palm cultivation is positively associated with nutrition and dietary quality. These associations are related to income gains that improve smallholders' access to nutritious foods from the market. Oil palm requires less labor than traditional crops, so a switch to oil palm could potentially free family labor for off-farm economic activities. We find that oil palm cultivation is positively associated with off-farm employment of male but not female household members, which may be related to unequal opportunities and social norms. Independent of oil palm cultivation, female off-farm employment is positively associated with nutrition, even after controlling for household income.
27pgs, This study examines the effect of gender on marketing efficiency among maize producing households using data collected in the Dawuro zone, southern Ethiopia. Results indicate that the amount of maize assigned to the first ranked (most efficient) channel for male, female and joint decision-making households is significantly larger than that of the second, third, and fourth ranked channels, respectively. Significant results vary across gender categories at the same stage of marketing channel. Female decision-making households receive a lower producer price, as well as cover higher marketing costs and margins of middlemen, as compared to male and joint decision-makers at the same stage of the marketing channel. This study also found a limited financial ability for local institutions to establish maize storages in the study area. There is a need for an integrated agricultural marketing information system that would help female decision-making maize producers to better engage in available market opportunities.
22pgs, In recent decades, meat consumption patterns have been changing. This study investigates the main drivers of white and red meat consumption in crisis regions based on microeconomic theory, hegemonic masculinity theory, meat paradox theory, and nutrition transition theory. A quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted in Sulaymaniyah city in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2018. Data from 233 respondents were collected. Multifactorial linear regression analysis showed that the main drivers in the consumption of white meat and red meat are similar: higher income and preferences for the taste of white or red meat have a statistically significant, positive effect on meat consumption. Men consume white meat more than women. The consumption of red meat decreases when the respondent is concerned about the fat content of meat and animal welfare awareness does not have a statistically significant effect on the consumption of either type of meat.
22 pages, Smallholder farmers in developing countries encounter multiple barriers in access to inputs and technology, which prevent them from reaping the benefits from market participation. Women farmers face additional constraints due to gender norms that further limit their engagement in productive activities. While collective action has been shown to improve access to markets and economic outcomes for farmers overall, the evidence on the effects of cooperative membership for women smallholders remains limited. We investigate empirically the economic benefits of collective action for women farmers in the honey sector in Ethiopia. Relying on a rich data set on women honey producers, both cooperative members and non-members, we evaluate the effects of belonging to a cooperative on three outcome variables through coarsened exact matching and regression analysis. Our results indicate that cooperative membership significantly increases the market price and the production quantity and, while the average effect on the share of product marketed is statistically insignificant, significant differences emerge for women with given characteristics. These results are shown to be robust to a number of tests that address biases from selection on observables and unobservables. An analysis of the heterogeneous effects of household membership in multiple groups finds that membership of self-help groups or farmer associations amplifies the positive outcomes from belonging to a formal cooperative. Finally, qualitative findings derived from the same communities indicate self-reported improvements in agency and self-esteem among women members, thus reinforcing the importance of the quantitative findings.
10 pages, How to increase conservation practices on farmland is a never-ending discussion topic for those working in the area of agriculture. Targeting of potential clients through conservation marketing is a key principle. Yet, prior research has identified that women and people of color are largely “invisible” in agriculture, to federal agricultural and conservation agencies. In this content analysis, we conduct an analysis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency websites and social media to determine the inclusiveness of marketing by USDA. Our analysis of gender and race focuses on three primary categories: (1) numbers; (2) focus; and (3) roles. Our findings reveal that the USDA is perpetuating a normative position of agriculture as a man’s world with its dominant focus on the white male. The findings highlight how women (especially those of color) are marginalized in agricultural imagery by federal agricultural agencies that provide conservation programs.
