Mulema, A.A. et al. (2019) ‘Women farmers’ participation in the agricultural research process: implications for agricultural sustainability in Ethiopia’, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 17(2), pp. 127–145.
The theme of the research emphasised enhancing women’s participation in agricultural research and technology so that they can contribute to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Ethiopia. Even though women play a great role in agricultural activities, their participation in agricultural research and productivity is low due to the existing social norms, limited access to resources/opportunities, the limited scope of agricultural policies, and poor policy guides toward women’s empowerment. This limited women’s productivity and contribution to food security at both household and national levels. Thus, any action aimed at maximising the impact of agricultural research on food security and sustainable agricultural development shall adopt an inclusive approach and enhance women’s role as innovators, agricultural producers, and caretakers.
With a primary goal of analysing women farmers’ participation in different stages of the agricultural research process in rural Ethiopia, the author employed a mixed method of an exploratory study conducted in four woredas within the Ethiopian highlands (i.e. Basona Worena, Sinana, Lemo, and Endamehoni), located in the regions of Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations Nationalities People (SNNP) and Tigray respectively. The author used 16 Focus Group Discussions with men and women farmers and 230 Surveys with randomly selected women farmers.
According to the finding, women’s participation in agricultural research work is determined by various socio-economic characteristics such as access to individually managed plots, access to information, membership in farmer groups, and level of empowerment. Women’s access to and management of land have a positive significance on women’s participation in the identification and prioritization of research problems and dissemination of tested and validated technologies. However, the study indicated that Men have more decision-making power over resources and time. Women, especially in male-headed households, do not have the power to decide on household resources as the husbands do.
Women’s membership in cooperatives and community-based organizations’ like Ekub, Wobera, one-to-five network groups, and other development groups is found to have positive implications on women’s participation in the identification and prioritization of research problems, monitoring, and evaluation. As women spend the majority of their time in labor-intensive work, their workload is found to affect their mobility to participate in public spaces from where they may access information, widen their social networks, and participate in available opportunities. Cultural norms and traditions are also mentioned as one of the main factors that hinder women from participating in agricultural research processes, in addition to religion. Accordingly, farming is considered a men’s responsibility, whereas women are expected to engage in household caring roles including childcare, sanitation, and livestock. Even when women participate in agricultural activities, their role is considered minimal such as distributing and weeding. Whereas men are considered skilled in farming activities and applying new agricultural technologies.
Finally, the author recommended that a more holistic approach that uncovers women’s potential and increases their participation in farmer research group shall be implemented.