Men’s, women’s, and joint plots: Unpacking the gender dynamics of maize management in Kenya
Channel: CIMMYT WebCast
Date: 2022-12-13

by
Rachel Voss
Gender and Agriculture Researcher
Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program
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Background: Research looking at how gender relations influence the uptake of technologies often assumes that men and women make farm management decisions as individuals—either as heads of separate households or independent actors within households. As a result, technology development, outreach, and promotion efforts, as well as research on behavior change, generally targets individual decision-makers. Relatively little is understood about the dynamics of agricultural decision-making within dual-adult households. This makes it difficult to assess how best to facilitate uptake and turnover of new varieties in rural households, especially among women farmers.

CIMMYT is organizing this webinar to share new results of a gender-related study that examined the complexity of decision-making related to maize plot management in 698 dual-adult households in rural Kenya. The data were used to first categorize maize plots as being managed by men, women, or jointly, and then search for patterns in the management of each type of plot. 

The results indicated a high degree of joint management of maize plots and striking similarities in management, including seed access and use, among all plot types. These findings challenge conventional frameworks that treat technology adoption as an individual decision and suggest there are not drastic gender-based differences in access to improved seed. The results underscore the importance of ensuring that both men’s and women’s priorities and needs are reflected in design and marketing of interventions to support maize production, including those related to seed systems, farmer capacity building, and input delivery.

Rachel Voss is a Gender & Agriculture Researcher at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Kenya. Her work focuses on social inclusion in maize seed systems and related value chains in eastern and southern Africa, and includes research on gendered product preferences, intrahousehold dynamics, and differentiated access to productive resources and technologies. Prior to joining CIMMYT, Rachel researched gender dynamics in the context of improved seed adoption, climate change adaptation, ICT-enabled extension, soil management, and access to digital financial services in Senegal. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Isabel Peña ( i.pena@cgiar.org )