Economía Agroalimentaria

Mainstreaming gender sensitivity in cash crop market supply chains

ESA Working Paper 11-08
Año: 2011
Autor(es): Ruth Vargas Hill, Marcella Vigneri
This paper considers the impact of gender specific constraints on the production and marketing of cash crops. Cash crop production differs from general agricultural production in that it entails engaging in output markets to make sales. This in turn requires reliable access to these markets, and has implications on the necessary scale and quality of production. Assessing the nature of female involvement in cash crop production is important, not just because it differs from the production of other crops, but because cash crop production holds significant potential as a means by which rural households can improve their welfare. Through a combination of review and original data analysis, this paper stresses the point that women are equally productive as men and receive equal prices to men, when they farm with the same resources and sell their crops in the same way. However, our review and analysis shows that women rarely have similar access to assets and markets as men and this has a non-trivial impact on production and marketing of cash crops. These gender inequalities in resources result in different levels of participation, methods of production and modes of marketing cash crops, and bear consequences for women’s potential outcome in the cultivation of these high value crops.
Tema: Pobreza
Tipo de documento: Documento de trabajo
JEL codes: J16, O13, Q12