- 18 -

# Case **16. %LAIUD: ,COLLECTINS AiD USINC** DATA TO **PLAN UWOEEN$ EXTENSION SERVIŒ S.**

The Uomen tn Agriculturat Development Project (WIADP) la an extension proJect that dlagnosed the needs of women farmers and designed appropriate services based on theae needs. The project was an "add-onu component to a farming systema project the original design of which had overtooked these issues. The purposes of the proJect were to: e.Cotltet nid disseminate rvsearch data on women's contribution to smatthotder agriculture in terms of labor and output. b.Establish mechanisms to coltlect gender-disaggregated data and to pinpoint whether or not problems were sender related.

terms c.Provide farmer-managed demonstrations and triats, credit program, leadership training, and workshops ta retrain WIADP staff. d.Develop workabte strategies that implementation teams could use to resch women farmers as client groupe. e.Design formats to monitor participation in extension services by gender. f.Involve women farmers in the planning process. g.Legitimize the male extension staff's work with femate fermera.

The atudy showed that: (1) women were becoming full-time farmers as men became part-time farmera; (2) women spent as much time on farm work as on domestic activities wnd did as much 'arm work as men; (3) tabor and cropping patterns varied by locality but women were involved in ait aspects of farming; (4) the number of femute-headed households in rural Matawi was increasing to approximatety one-third, mostly because of mate migration, and (5) women were interested in agricuttural devetopment services but were handicapped by delivery services. The study also showed that when women are given the opportunity to receive credit, agricutturat training, and inputs, their agricultural performance is simitar to the better mate farmers; and women who receive inputs and instruction manage their farms as welt as men, obtain simitar yieids, and practice crop diversity. These women make good use of credit and rarely defautt on toans. The WIADP staff anatyzed the data from the Maiawi National Sample Survey of Agriculture and found that mate farmera received more personal visits and advice than women farmers did. Data were then disaggregated into three categories: mate household heads, femate househotd heads and wives of household heads. Results indicated that men received more extension services thon women. Of ten wSves who were farm partners recelved more services thon femate household heeds-but few wives receSved agricuttural information fron their husbands.

WIADP conducted two experiments to determine: t1) ihether mate extension agents could work with women farmers and (2j whether women farmers coutd do on-farm experimental triats with precision. The answers to both questions were affirmative. As a result, the WIADP prepared an extension circutar, distributed by the Minfstry of Agriculture, describing techniques with which mate extension staff uould improve their contact with women farmers and to inctude more women farmers in credit, training, demonstration, and visitation programs (Spring 1985).

2.11 It is important to speak with the vomen farmers themselves or the planned extension activities may not be targeted appropriately. Questioning men is unlikely to elicit the full extent of female farming activities since men tend to understate their wives' roles. Indeed, men may be unable to answer accurately because they may not know the true extent of tasks in which they have not directly participated. Moreover, responses should be verified by direct observation because women sometimes downplay their own agricultural roles for status reasons. All enumerators require special training in the nuances of collecting data on women farmers and it may be necessary to use female enumerators.

2.12 Recommended Methods for Gender Analysis. Certain data collection methods have been effective in planning services for female farmers. It is