Women?s production capacities enhancement and gender yield gap reduction in groundnuts in Uganda

Abstract

Literature shows that women in many African farming communitiesare more involved in agricultural production activitiesthan men, but their capacities, including access to key farm resourcesand markets are lower, leading to gender differentialsin productivity or yield gaps. In Uganda, women make up 53%of the agricultural labor force, but reportedly manage plots thatare 20-30% less productive than plots managed by the men.This study analyses groundnut production differences amongfemale and male farmers in Uganda. Yield gaps between themale and female farmers are considered at two levels; differencesbetween actual and potential yields, and differences betweenexpected and actual yields. A total of 240 randomly selectedfarmers (58% females) were interviewed using a pre-testedquestionnaire. Using regression analysis, factors that contributedto groundnut yield gaps among and between female and malefarmers were determined. Results show that both female andmale farmers experience a yield gap ranging from about 20%to 37%. The results further indicate that more men than womenuse improved seed, fungicides, and carry out timely weeding; thecrucial factors that affect groundnut output and yield. Majorityof farmers, especially women, use home saved seeds and fewerimproved technologies due to high cost, leading to low production.Other factors contributing to the yield gap are socio-demographic,economic and institutional factors including less accessto extension services by women, less access to and/or controlover land, lower affordability of labor and other key inputs