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Seeds of Disparity: the Gender Land Divide from Brazil's Agricultural Transition

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  • Araujo, Rafael
  • Borges, Bruna
  • Costa, Francisco J M

    (FGV EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance)

  • Santos, Kelly

Abstract

Gender gaps in land ownership are common worldwide, favoring men. This paper studies the impact of agricultural modernization on female land ownership. Focusing on the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) soy seeds in Brazil, we find a decline in female landownership in GE soy-exposed regions. We examine the role of mechanisms like credit access, property rights, and gender norms. The effects are more pronounced where rural credit is more abundant, property rights are stronger, and gender norms are more unequal. Our findings highlight the unintended consequences of the spread of new technologies on rural asset ownership, underscoring the importance of considering gender disparities in crafting agricultural and climate change strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Araujo, Rafael & Borges, Bruna & Costa, Francisco J M & Santos, Kelly, 2024. "Seeds of Disparity: the Gender Land Divide from Brazil's Agricultural Transition," SocArXiv dk4bc_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:dk4bc_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/dk4bc_v1
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