Are Female Rice Farmers Less Productive than Male Farmers? Micro-evidence from Ghana

Gendered rice productivity gaps continue to be a major challenge to achieving food self-sufficiency and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. This study uses data of 900 rice plot managers from three regions in Northern Ghana. The Oaxaca–Blinder mean and quantile-based decomposition procedure were employed in each region separately to highlight the sources of gender differences in rice productivity. The results show that female plot managers are not disadvantaged in rice production. The results suggest that female plot managers produce 18% more rice output than male plot managers in the Upper East region, while there is no significant gender difference in the Northern and Upper West regions. Again, rice productivity differences among female and male plot managers within regions are positively influenced by age, marriage status, asset value, family labor, herbicide use, and farmer-based organization memberships. On the other hand, rice productivity differences are negatively affected by poor access to extension, farm size, household expenditure, and hired labor. Moreover, by applying an Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition approach, apart from understanding factors driving gender productivity gaps within regions, we are also able to estimate the likely benefits that each region could gain from bridging the gender gaps in rice production. It can be concluded that by accounting for regional heterogeneity there is an average gender gap in rice productivity in Northern Ghana. The gender differentials across the rice-producing regions of Ghana suggest that policies aimed at improving rice productivity from a gender perspective should consider spatial factors as well.