IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/13722.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Gender differentials in agricultural productivity: evidence from Nepalese household data

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/13722/1/MPRA_paper_13722.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. MaCurdy, Thomas E & Pencavel, John H, 1986. "Testing between Competing Models of Wage and Employment Determination in Unionized Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 3-39, June.
    2. 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.
    3. Quisumbing, Agnes R., 1996. "Male-female differences in agricultural productivity: Methodological issues and empirical evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(10), pages 1579-1595, October.
    4. 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.
    5. Abdulai, Awudu & Huffman, Wallace, 2000. "Structural Adjustment and Economic Efficiency of Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(3), pages 503-520, April.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Astrid Sneyers & Anneleen Vandeplas, 2013. "Girl Power in Agricultural Production: How Much Does it Yield? A Case-Study on the Dairy Sector in India," Working Papers id:5562, eSocialSciences.
    2. Peterman, A., 2010. "A review of empirical evidence on gender differences in nonland agricultural inputs, technology, and services in developing countries," IWMI Working Papers H043605, International Water Management Institute.
    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).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Philip Brown, 2019. "Gender, Educational Attainment, and Farm Outcomes in New Zealand," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. 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.
    3. Bagamba, Fredrick & Burger, Kees & Kuyvenhoven, Arie, 2007. "Determinants of smallholder farmer labour allocation decisions in Uganda," 106th Seminar, October 25-27, 2007, Montpellier, France 7920, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & McClafferty, Bonnie, 2006. "Using gender research in development: food security in practice," Food security in practice technical guide series 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. John Cockburn, 2002. "Income Contributions of Child Work in Rural Ethiopia," CSAE Working Paper Series 2002-12, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    6. Goetghebuer, Tatiana, 2011. "Productive inefficiency in patriarchal family farms: evidence from Mali," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Berlin 2011 34, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    7. Mwangi wa Githinji & Charalampos Konstantinidis & Andrew Barenberg, 2011. "Small and as Productive : Female Headed Households and the Inverse Relationship between Land Size and Output in Kenya," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2011-31, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    8. Ragasa, Catherine, 2012. "Gender and Institutional Dimensions of Agricultural Technology Adoption: A Review of Literature and Synthesis of 35 Case Studies," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126747, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Savita Kulkarni & Anirudh Tagat & Hansika Kapoor, 2016. "An experimental investigation of intra-household resource allocation in rural India," Working Papers PIERI 2016-20, PEP-PIERI.
    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. Quisumbing, Agnes R., 1996. "Male-female differences in agricultural productivity: Methodological issues and empirical evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(10), pages 1579-1595, October.
    12. Agarwal, Bina, 2000. "Panel Report: Gender Perspectives on Land Rights, Intra-Household Allocations and Productivity," 2000 Conference, August 13-18, 2000, Berlin, Germany 197233, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Abrar Suleiman, 2004. "Smallholder Supply Response and Gender in Ethiopia: A Profit Function Analysis," Working Papers 2004007, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2004.
    14. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Pandolfelli, Lauren, 2010. "Promising Approaches to Address the Needs of Poor Female Farmers: Resources, Constraints, and Interventions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 581-592, April.
    15. Andre Croppenstedt & Markus Goldstein & Nina Rosas, 2013. "Gender and Agriculture: Inefficiencies, Segregation, and Low Productivity Traps," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 79-109, February.
    16. 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).
    17. Ali, Daniel & Bowen, Derick & Deininger, Klaus & Duponchel, Marguerite, 2016. "Investigating the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity: Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 152-170.
    18. Theriault, Veronique & Smale, Melinda & Haider, Hamza, 2016. "Gender Differences in the Adoption of Cereal Intensification Strategy Sets in Burkina Faso," Food Security International Development Working Papers 245896, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    19. Isaac Gershon Kodwo Ansah & Hayford Oduro & Awuah Lartey Osae, 2014. "A Comparative Analysis of Profit Efficiency in Maize and Cowpea Production in the Ejura Sekyedumase District of the Ashanti Region, Ghana," Research in Applied Economics, Macrothink Institute, vol. 6(4), pages 106-125, December.
    20. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Quisumbing, Agnes & Behrman, Julia & Biermayr-Jenzano, Patricia & Wilde, Vicki & Noordeloos, Marco & Ragasa, Catherine & Beintema, Nienke, 2010. "Engendering agricultural research," IFPRI discussion papers 973, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

    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

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:13722. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.