Do Women Benefit from New Technologies in Mali?

Abstract

Development objectives are often concerned with the impact of agricultural technologies on women’s welfare. The introduction of a new agricultural technology in the farming system creates additional demand of labor and often negotiation over the distribution of new income streams. It is therefore critical to identify the types of agricultural and policy change that can result in increased welfare for women farmers. This paper uses data from southern Mali to analyze the impact of the decisions to diversify or rejuvenate the cotton sector on intra-household labor allocation and women’s income. Based on a household modeling approach, we compare and contrast the household and women incomes following changes in technologies and policies. Result showed that the most profitable economic opportunity for the household is not the most beneficial for women. Women are better off with adoption of less labor intensive agricultural technologies. These findings stressed out the importance of considering intra household bargaining power and promoting labor saving technologies to improve women’s benefit in the agricultural system