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Gender differentials in agricultural productivity: evidence from Nepalese household data

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  • Thapa, Sridhar

Abstract

This study analyzes productivity differentials between men and women in the peasant agriculture in Nepal. Both Cobb-Douglas and translog production functions are estimated using data from the Nepal Living Standard Survey 2003/04. Evidence is found for higher value of marginal product of adult family male than adult female, while marginal products of other inputs are found to be relatively higher than the prevailing market wages and prices, implying that these inputs have become gradually a binding constraint in production. Male managed farms produce more output per hectare with higher command in market input use, obtaining credit, and receiving agricultural extension services than female managed farms. In contrast, the result does not clearly support the hypothesis of separability or aggregation of male and female labour, but there is little justification of weak separability. Moreover, head’s sex as proxy for farm manager does not show any difference between male and female managed farms. However, the coefficients of location and household characteristics show significant variations in farm output among ethnic and caste groups residing in different ecological belts of Nepal. Overall, adult male labour is found to contribute more in production process than adult female labour.

Suggested Citation

  • Thapa, Sridhar, 2008. "Gender differentials in agricultural productivity: evidence from Nepalese household data," MPRA Paper 13722, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Feb 2009.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:13722
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/13722/1/MPRA_paper_13722.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thapa, Sridhar, 2007. "The relationship between farm size and productivity: empirical evidence from the Nepalese mid-hills," 106th Seminar, October 25-27, 2007, Montpellier, France 7940, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
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    4. Udry, Christopher & Hoddinott, John & Alderman, Harold & Haddad, Lawrence, 1995. "Gender differentials in farm productivity: implications for household efficiency and agricultural policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 407-423, October.
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    6. Jacoby, Hanan G., 1991. "Productivity of men and women and the sexual division of labor in peasant agriculture of the Peruvian Sierra," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(1-2), pages 265-287, November.
    7. Abdulai, Awudu & Regmi, Punya Prasad, 2000. "Estimating labor supply of farm households under nonseparability: empirical evidence from Nepal," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 309-320, April.
    8. Denny, Michael & Fuss, Melvyn A, 1977. "The Use of Approximation Analysis to Test for Separability and the Existence of Consistent Aggregates," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(3), pages 404-418, June.
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    Cited by:

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    3. R. Wendy Karamba & Paul C. Winters, 2015. "Gender and agricultural productivity: implications of the Farm Input Subsidy Program in Malawi," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(3), pages 357-374, May.
    4. Mishra, Khushbu & Abdoul, Sam G. & Miranda, Mario J. & Diiro, Gracious M., 2015. "Gender and Dynamics of Technology Adoption: Evidence from Uganda," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 206550, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Campus, Daniela, 2017. "Gender differentials in agricultural productivity: an empirical evidence from Uganda," 2017 Sixth AIEAA Conference, June 15-16, Piacenza, Italy 261259, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    6. Subert, Moses Peter, 2017. "Perceptions Of Enhanced Freshness Formulation Technologies And Adoption Decisions Among Smallholder Banana Farmers In Morogoro, Tanzania," Research Theses 276437, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    7. Namonje-Kapembwa, Thelma & Thelma, Antony, 2016. "Improved Agricultural Technology Adoption in Zambia: Are Women Farmers Being Left Behind?," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 245916, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    8. Md. Wakilur Rahman & Md. Salauddin Palash & Hasneen Jahan & Shokhrukh-Mirzo Jalilov & Mohammed Mainuddin, 2020. "An Empirical Investigation of Men’s Views of Women’s Contribution to Farming in Northwest Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, April.
    9. Muhammad Sohail Amjad Makhdum & Rakhshanda Kousar, 2021. "Gender in agriculture: Determinants of female labor supply decisions among rural households in the context of market imperfections in Pakistan," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(2), pages 235-248, March.
    10. Koirala, Krishna H. & Mishra, Ashok K. & Sitienei, Isaac, 2015. "Farm Productivity and Technical Efficiency of Rural Malawian Households: Does Gender Make a Difference?," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 196903, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    11. repec:lic:licosd:34113 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Peterman, Amber & Behrman, Julia & Quisumbing, Agnes, 2010. "A review of empirical evidence on gender differences in nonland agricultural inputs, technology, and services in developing countries," IFPRI discussion papers 975, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. Bina Agarwal, 2015. "Food Security, Productivity, and Gender Inequality," Working Papers id:7566, eSocialSciences.
    14. Qushim, Berdikul & Gillespie, Jeffrey, 2016. "Women Farm Operators in the U.S. Meat Goat Production: Who is More Productive?," 2016 Annual Meeting, February 6-9, 2016, San Antonio, Texas 230004, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    15. Peterman, Amber & Quisumbing, Agnes & Behrman, Julia & Nkonya, Ephraim, 2010. "Understanding gender differences in agricultural productivity in Uganda and Nigeria," IFPRI discussion papers 1003, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender differentials; agriculture; production functions; marginal products; Nepal;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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