# <u>Sex of plot manager or owner</u>

As an extension of the relationship between the sex of the household head and input use, we also examine the patterns among plots managed by different members of respondent households. In the LSMS-ISA surveys, we observe the plot manager and/or owner (see notes to Table 25 for what is observed in each country). While managers and owners may be responsible for different types of management decisions, this classification represents the best means of comparison across countries. Table 25 shows that females manage or own generally less than a quarter of all plots cultivated in the main season.<sup>19</sup> Plots managed or owned by men are statistically significantly more likely in most countries to receive inorganic fertilizer, and in higher amounts.<sup>20</sup> Men tend to use more agro-chemicals in certain countries (Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania) and irrigation in others (Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria). The sex of the plot manager or owner does not appear to be a major determinant of input use in Ethiopia, Tanzania or Uganda unlike in Malawi, Niger and Nigeria.

Table 25: Differences in input use between by sex of plot manager, owner, or operator

||% of plots<br>managed or<br>owned|% u|sing organic<br>fertilizer|% us|ing ino<br>fertilize|rganic<br>r|Averag<br>fert|e total in<br>ilizer (kg|organic<br>/ha)|% using<br>improved<br>seed|%<br>c|using agro-<br>hemicals|% usi<br>irrigati|ng<br>on|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||byfemale|M|F<br>sig|M|F|sig|M|F|sig|M<br>F<br>sig|M|F<br>sig|M<br>F|sig|
|Ethiopia|13|17|**20**|35|**38**||**47**|42||**8**<br>6|20|**23**|**1**<br>1|*|
|Malawi|24|**13**|13|**68**|66|*|**131**|112|***|-<br>-|**3**|1<br>***|**<1**<br><1||
|Niger|12|**36**|25<br>***|**10**|7||**3**|<1|***|**1**<br>1|**7**|2<br>***|**2**<br><1|***|
|Nigeria|8|**4**|1<br>**|**39**|12|***|**84**|30|***|-<br>-|**43**|18<br>***|**3**<br><1|***|
|Tanzania|17|11|**13**|**16**|11|*|11|**11**||-<br>-|**13**|9|2<br>**2**||
|Uganda|33|10|**11**|2|**4**||1|**2**|**|-<br>-|9|**12**|**6**<br>3||
|_Average _|_18_|_15_|_14_<br>_-_|_28_|_23_|_-_|_46_|_39_|_-_|_5_<br>_4_<br>_-_|_16_|_11_<br>_-_|_3_<br>_2_|_-_|

Note: The following are how the gender of the operator is determined: Ethiopia-holder; Malawi-manager; Nigerowner; Nigeria-manger; Tanzania-manager; Uganda-manager. Inorganic fertilizer application rates are unconditional and represent total, not nutrient, values. *, **, and *** denote that difference in mean between groups is statistically significant using t-values of 1.645, 1.96, and 2.58 respectively. The “average” row includes simple (unweighted) averages across the statistics reported at the country level.

# **_4.5. Joint use of inputs_**

It is commonly thought that modern inputs are seldom adopted in isolation since the complementarity between particular sets of inputs makes adopting them together advantageous for farmers, as well as the fact that inputs are generally sold alongside each other at input shops or provided together via government subsidy programs. If there are agronomic synergies among modern inputs, it is believed, then farmers will use them together, especially if farmers behave “efficiently.” For example, some modern seed varieties are bred to respond better when paired with inorganic fertilizer (Ellis 1992; Nyangena and Juma 2014). The entire integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) paradigm is built around the belief that inorganic and organic fertilizer should be used together to improve both the nutrient availability and absorption capacity of the soil (Place et al. 2003; Vanlauwe et al. 2010, 2011). Furthermore, the use of inorganic fertilizer may mean the presence of more weeds on the plot, necessitating the

> 19 For more on the gender dimensions of agriculture in the LSMS-ISA surveys, see <mark>Christiaensen, Kilic, PalaciosLopez (in review).</mark> 20 It is important to note, however, that most plots managed or owned by females are also found in female-headed households. When limiting our sample to only male-headed households, the statistical significance of these relationships disappears in Malawi (except in the case of agro-chemical use). The relationships remain unchanged in Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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