Impacts of Agricultural Development Projects on Gender Relations in

Farming Households (A Case Study of Blantyre rural,

Malawi)Presented at the Agricultural Investments, Gender and Land in Africa Conference

in Cape town, South Africa

ByLoveness Msofi

Presentation Outline▪ Background

information

▪ Research problem

▪ Objectives

▪ Methodology

▪ Results and discussion

▪ Conclusions

▪ Recommendations

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Background Information (1/3)▪ Agriculture remains the backbone of Malawi's economy. The sector contributes

over 30% to GDP, over 80% of the country’s employment most of whom are women.

(GOM, 2010)

▪ All the gender categories (men, women and youth) are involved in Malawian agriculture though in different activities depending on the gender roles and the priorities of these gender categories .

(Hirschmann and Vaughan, 1984)

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Background Information (2/3)

Women farmers

Subsistence food

production

Commercial Production

Agricultural labour force

Food security

Household welfare

Economic development

Figure 1. The Roles of Women Farmers in Malawian Agriculture, NSO (2010)

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Background Information (3/3)

Worldwide, there are things that are no longer a dispute, women are involved more in agriculture and they spend more time farming than men (World Bank, 1991; Saito, Mekonnen, and Spurling, 1994)

In Malawi, 70% of full time farmers are women (GOM, 2010)

GOM and NGOs have generated interventions to empower women and to improve their conditions in the agricultural sector since their role is crucial for the improvement of people’s livelihoods and for economic growth of the country.

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Research Problem▪ Donors have been called to mainstream gender issues in projects. But

what is not known is how such gender framing translate into project actions and the impacts of such actions on gender relations.

▪ It was therefore the aim of this research to determine the extent to which gender is mainstreamed in the projects implemented by the government and other donors in the agriculture sector.

▪ The study involved a critical look at the gender components articulated in the project documents of the selected projects, investigated the translation of this articulation on the ground and also determined the impacts brought about by the projects on gender relations at household level.

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Research Objectives

Main objective• The main purpose of this research was to analyse the impacts of

agricultural development projects on gender relations within the farming households in the rural area of Blantyre district where different agricultural development programs/projects are being implemented

Specific objectives• To analyse the gender components in the project documents of the

projects being implemented in the study area in relation to the situation on the ground.

• To analyse the gender relations existing among different gender categories in the households in the study area.

• To understand the impact of agricultural development programmes on gender relations in farming households in the study area.

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Methodology

Study area Lunzu EPA and Ntonda EPA - BlantyreRespondents Farmers = 58 extension workers =3Sampling techniques Purposive sampling Systematic random sampling

Sampling plan

Data Primary and secondary Survey instrumentsQuestionnaire and checklistData collection methodsIndividual face to face interviews, focus group discussion and key informant interviews

Data collection

SPSS frequencies and percentages, cross-tabulations and Chi-square

Statistical

analysis

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Figure 2: ASWAp Focus Areas, Support Services and Crosscutting Issues

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Description of the Projects

Irrigation, Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Development Project▪ GOM project funded by the World Bank and

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

▪ The major project development objectives are

▪ To raise agricultural productivity, and net incomes of poor rural households in the targeted districts in a sustainable manner by providing an integrated package of support covering irrigation, agricultural/irrigation advisory services, marketing and post-harvest support.

▪ To strengthen recipient institutional capacity for long-term irrigation development.

▪ Components

▪ Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development

▪ Farmer Services and Livelihoods Fund (FSLF)

▪ Institutional Development and Community Mobilization

▪ Project Coordination Unit, and Monitoring and Evaluation

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Gender Narratives in ASWAP and IRLADP

ASWAP

• Developing gender analysis and mainstreaming at all levels starting with focal points

• Providing gender training to frontline staff

• Promote research and extension that is gender sensitive

• Gender sensitivity during targeting• Advocate for gender mainstreaming

in agricultural policies.• Production of gender policy

strategies and enforcing the implementation

IRLADP

• Awareness on gender issues during project community sensitization and mobilization

• Gender data collection during Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

• Identify gender empowerment opportunities for vulnerable groups and resource poor farmers

• Gender issues included during targeting and monitoring

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Table 1: Gender Division of Labour Before and After the Projects

ACTIVITIES ASWAp IRLADP

 

 

Productive activities

Crop production

Livestock

production

 

Before

 

After

 

Before

 

After

Men and women All gender

categories

All gender

categories

All gender

categories

Men All gender

categories

Men and

women

Men and women

Reproductive activities Women Men and

women

Men, women

and girls

Men and women

Community activities Men and women Men and

women

Men and

women

Men and women

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Results and Discussion (1/4)

Table 2: Control and Access to Resources and Benefits Before and After the Projects

GENDER ROLES ASWAp IRLADP

  Before After Before After

Control over

resources

Men Men and

women

Men and women Men and women

Control over

benefits

Men Men and

women

Men and women Men and women

Access to resources Men and

women

Men and

women

Men and women Men and women

Access to benefits All gender

categories

All gender

categories

All gender

categories

All gender

categories

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Results and Discussion (2/4)

Table 3: Decision Making Before and After the Projects

DECISION ASWAP IRLADP

  Before After Before After

Crops to be grown Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

Livestock to be kept Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

Selling farm produce Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

Buying farm

equipment and inputs

Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

How to use farm

income and other

farm products

Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

Land use Men Men and women Men and women Men and women

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Results and Discussion (3/4)

Table 4: Impacts of the Projects on Gender Relations

Gender Relations ASWAp IRLADP

Gender division of labour Yes No

Control over resources and benefits

Yes No

Access to resources and benefits

Yes No

Decision making Yes No

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Results and Discussion (4/4)

Conclusions ▪ Gender narratives were well articulated in the ASWAp project document and

they give a clear direction for the implementation of the specific activities to address gender issues and they are budgeted for.

▪ In the IRLADP project document, the gender issues are mentioned but they do not give a clear guide for implementation and the only emphasis is on participation of women in the project activities which cannot be clearly tracked on the ground.

▪ ASWAp unlike IRLADP has had an impact on the gender relations regarding division of labour, control and access to resources and benefits and decision making such that after the project, there is improved participation of the gender categories in the different activities

▪ There are other very important factors such as culture which may have an impact on the gender relations and other factors such as gender of household head which also have a great impact on the gender relations.

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Recommendations ▪ To achieve gender mainstreaming the gender narratives should clearly

be articulated in the project documents including specific strategies and guidelines for implementation which should be provided to the project implementers.

▪ The projects should also provide clear mechanisms to track the actual implementation of the activities and the impact on the ground

▪ Other important factors such as culture should be taken into consideration when planning for gender mainstreaming activities since they play a great role in influencing the gender relations.

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Thank you for listening