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The heat never bothered me anyway: Gender‐specific response of agricultural labor to climatic shocks in Tanzania

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  • Yeyoung Lee
  • Beliyou Haile
  • Greg Seymour
  • Carlo Azzarri

Abstract

Agricultural production in Africa is generally highly labor intensive with gender‐specific specialization across activities. Using panel data from Tanzania, we examine the effects of heat stress (temperature above 29°C) during the maize‐growing season on gender‐disaggregated agricultural labor use. Results show that heat stress reduces total male family labor but does not statistically affect female family labor. Households with only female adults seem to increase their labor supply under heat stress. Given these heterogeneous effects, gender‐sensitive development interventions and adaptation strategies are suggested to enhance women's adaptive capacity.

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  • Yeyoung Lee & Beliyou Haile & Greg Seymour & Carlo Azzarri, 2021. "The heat never bothered me anyway: Gender‐specific response of agricultural labor to climatic shocks in Tanzania," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(2), pages 732-749, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:43:y:2021:i:2:p:732-749
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13153
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    1. Boyd, Chris, 2021. "Climate, Mothers’ Time-Use, and Child Nutrition: Evidence from Rural Uganda," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315906, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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