Scientific Publication

Women’s empowerment and the adoption of improved maize varieties: Evidence from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania

author(s) Seymour, Gregory - Doss, Cheryl - Marenya, Paswel - Meinzen-Dick, Ruth - Passarelli, Simone
from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
permalink open
themes
regions
  • Eastern Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Africa
  • World
citation

Seymour, Gregory et al., 'Women’s empowerment and the adoption of improved maize varieties: Evidence from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania', Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association's Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, July 31 - August 2, 2016
, 2016

Publications and datasets provided via GARDIAN

Abstract

Despite recent evidence that decisions about technology adoption often involve input from both men and women, the literature on technology adoption rarely considers gender and intrahousehold issues. In this paper, we use survey data from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania to investigate the influence of women’s empowerment on the adoption of improved maize varieties (IMVs). While our results are mixed as to whether or not women’s empowerment is positively correlated with higher rates of adoption, we find overwhelmingly that women’s empowerment is positively correlated with greater participation by women in decisions about the adoption of IMVs, the acquisition of credit for the purchase of IMVs, and the acquisition of extension services related to IMVs.

Open original