Impact of the adoption of improved varieties on the well being of women producers in the district of Falwel, Sherken Hausa and Tera in Niger

Abstract

In literature on gender development issues, investigators on improved technologies and designers of development programs have been widely criticized for not only underestimating the real needs and role of women, but also the effect of these actions to female agricultural producers. This study examines the effect of improved groundnut and cowpea varieties in terms of improving female farmers living conditions. The data were gathered from individual interviews with 150 female producers of improved groundnut and cowpea varieties in a sample from 15 villages of Niger. The results indicate that the adoption of improved varieties by female producers has increased groundnut yields by 2.5 fold and cowpea by 8 fold compared to local varieties. This has led to an improvement in yearly average income from 38 US$ before the adoption of improved varieties to 138 US$ after the adoption. It has also increased the length of household food availability from 5.25 months per year to 9.62 months per year. Thus, following the adoption of the improved varieties has significantly changed the live of female farmers, improving the food and nutritional security, creating revenues, the growth and reinforcement of income-generating activities such as animal fattening, small trading, food selling activities, gardening), and the purchase of agricultural equipment, women's affording some household expenses (cloths, seasoning and school supplies purchase, school fees, etc.), etc.

In term of preferred varieties the analysis did not find a difference between males and females. All the farmers are looking for short cycle productive millet and legumes varieties. Surprisingly the interviewed women did not mention the seed quality and culinary trait as essential for picking a millet, groundnut or cowpea variety