Gender disparities in agricultural extension among smallholders in Western Uganda

In this study, we aimed to assess gender disparities in access to agricultural extension services and the determinants of access to extension among male and female-headed households in Western Uganda. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to extract primary data from 200 farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Binary Logit model. Our findings revealed that majority of the male-headed households had access to extension compared to their female-headed household counterparts. This was also evident in the sources of agricultural extension. The socio-demographic characteristics of farmers also indicated that male-headed households were better off in many areas, for example, male-headed households boasted 498.83 kg/ha maize productivity, while households headed by females produced 405.36 kg/ha, indicating a 94 kg/ha yield gap. Similarly, adoption of agricultural practices was high among the male-headed households than their fellow female-headed counterparts. Finally, the estimates from the Binary Logit revealed that male-headed households’ access to extension was influenced by age, education, farm size, crop diversity, and group membership. The predictor variables that significantly influenced female-headed households’ access to extension include age, education, experience, household size, farm size, distance to extension, crop diversity, non-farm income, and credit access. The study concluded that there are gender disparities in agricultural extension as evident in the access to, sources and determinants of access to agricultural extension. To bridge the gender gap, the study advocates for more training and extension services to female-headed households regarding access to and sources of extension services.Extension service provision is one of the pillars of agricultural productivity among the smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The role of agricultural extension services involves linking farmers and the governments. Through extension services, smallholder farmers are able to acquire modern agricultural techniques that increases farm productivity. With increased farm productivity, farmers are able to come out of the catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Female headed households normally report less productivity of major crops, leading to food insecurity amongst them. This research work contributes to the global discussions on access to extension among the male and female headed households. The study presents results on the state of access to agricultural extension services as well as the determinants of access to extension among the male and female headed households. Our findings and recommendations can be adopted by relevant authorities to increase access to extension, leading to higher crop productivity among female headed households. In the long run, there will be a decline in food insecurity as a result of the increased crop productivity among the female headed households.