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Women’s empowerment, agricultural extension, and digitalization: Disentangling information and role model effects in rural Uganda:

Author

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  • Lecoutere, Els
  • Spielman, David J.
  • Van Campenhout, Bjorn

Abstract

In many developing countries, agricultural extension services are generally biased towards men, with information targeted mainly to male members of a farming household and in formats that are rarely tailored to female members. Nevertheless, female farmers may also benefit from such services as this may affect their ability to make informed decisions, resulting in increased farm productivity, household income, and welfare. We conduct a gendered field experiment among maize-farming households in eastern Uganda to test whether video-enabled extension messaging affects outcomes related to maize cultivation. In this experiment, men, women, and couples are shown randomly assigned videos about improved maize management practices in which male, female, or both male and female actors are featured. We first vary exposure to the videos by gender to test the effects of changes in intra-household information asymmetries, investigating whether involving women as recipients of information increases their ability to participate in household decision-making, and thus their involvement in household production choices. We then vary exposure to the gender of the actors in the videos to test for role-model effects, exploring whether involving women as information messengers challenges the idea that decision-making is a predominantly male domain, in turn affecting women’s outcomes. Results show that targeting women with information increases their knowledge about improved maize management practices, their role in agricultural decision-making, the adoption of recommended practices and inputs, production-related outcomes, and the quantity of maize women sell to the market. Results for the role-model effects are mixed, and are evident more in joint household outcomes than individual women’s outcomes. Overall, our findings suggest that in the context of our study, extension efforts aimed at directly addressing intra-household information asymmetries may be a first-best means of empowering women in agriculture. Other, more subtle means that seek to influence perceptions and norms about gendered roles in the household may not generate expected effects or work via expected impact pathways, though they remain worth further exploration.

Suggested Citation

  • Lecoutere, Els & Spielman, David J. & Van Campenhout, Bjorn, 2019. "Women’s empowerment, agricultural extension, and digitalization: Disentangling information and role model effects in rural Uganda:," IFPRI discussion papers 1889, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1889
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    Cited by:

    1. Bjorn Van Campenhout & David J. Spielman & Els Lecoutere, 2021. "Information and Communication Technologies to Provide Agricultural Advice to Smallholder Farmers: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 317-337, January.
    2. Campenhout, Bjorn Van, 2021. "ICTs to Address Information Inefficiencies in Food Supply Chains," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 313801, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. David Israel Contreras-Medina & Sergio Ernesto Medina-Cuéllar & Julia Sánchez-Gómez & Carlos Mario Rodríguez-Peralta, 2021. "Innovation of Women Farmers: A Technological Proposal for Mezcalilleras’ Sustainability in Mexico, Based on Knowledge Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-24, October.
    4. Justice A. Tambo & Mathews Matimelo, 2022. "An act of defiance? Measuring farmer deviation from personalised extension recommendations in Zambia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(2), pages 396-413, June.
    5. Elisabeth Simelton & Mariette McCampbell, 2021. "Do Digital Climate Services for Farmers Encourage Resilient Farming Practices? Pinpointing Gaps through the Responsible Research and Innovation Framework," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, September.
    6. Oriana Bandiera & Robin Burgess & Erika Deserranno & Ricardo Morel & Munshi Sulaiman & Imran Rasul, 2023. "Social Incentives, Delivery Agents, and the Effectiveness of Development Interventions," Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 162-224.
    7. Campenhout, Bjorn Van, 2021. "ICTs to Address Information Inefficiencies in Food Supply Chains," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315054, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. Rosalind Ragetlie & Dina Najjar & Dorsaf Oueslati, 2022. "“Dear Brother Farmer”: Gender-Responsive Digital Extension in Tunisia during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-22, March.
    9. Avalos,Jorge Eduardo & Bossuroy,Thomas & Clay,Timothy Joseph Peter & Dutta,Puja Vasudeva, 2023. "Productive Inclusion Programs in Urban Africa," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 183525, The World Bank.
    10. Donald,Aletheia Amalia & Goldstein,Markus P. & Rouanet,Lea Marie, 2022. "Two Heads Are Better Than One : Agricultural Production and Investment in Côte d’Ivoire," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10047, The World Bank.
    11. Elisabeth Simelton & Tuan Minh Duong & Ella Houzer, 2021. "When the “Strong Arms” Leave the Farms—Migration, Gender Roles and Risk Reduction in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-30, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    UGANDA; EAST AFRICA; AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA; AFRICA; empowerment; gender; women; technology; Information and Communication Technologies (icts); maize; agricultural extension; digital technology; video-based extension;
    All these keywords.

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