Bridging the gap: decomposing sources of gender yield gaps in Uganda groundnut production

Abstract

Female plot managers in Sub-Saharan Africa often realize significantly lower crop yields than their male counterparts. Even for legumes, which are often referred to as ‘women’s crops’, yields are significantly lower. This study investigated the underlying causes of this gender yield gap in groundnut production. The analysis is based on survey data from 228 farm households from two groundnut growing regions in Uganda. We used the Blinder-Oaxaca model to decompose factors that contribute to this yield gap. Results show 63% and 44% gender yield gaps for improved and local varieties, respectively, with female plot managers realizing less than their male counterparts. Improved groundnut seeds increase female plot manager’s yields but not the yields of male plot managers. Male advantage and female disadvantage combined account for more than 70% of the yield gap in both improved and local groundnut variety production and exceed pure productivity differences. Labor use differences between female and male plot managers and variety types explain the observed yield gap. Interventions and policies that increase women’s access to productive inputs including improved seed will significantly contribute to closing the yield gap, and thereby increase crop production, food security, as well as women’s incomes.

Keywords:

• Blinder-Oaxaca model
• female-managed plot
• male-managed plot
• gender yield gap

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the farmers who volunteered information that enabled this research as well as the anonymous reviewers for providing valuable feedback that significantly improved this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was undertaken as part of, and funded by, the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC). We acknowledge the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for funding this study under the Tropical Legume III (TLIII) project.

Notes on contributors

Johnny Mugisha

Johnny Mugisha, Professor of Agricultural Economics at Makerere University, has a PhD and MSc in Agricultural Economics. He has vast research experience in socio-economics including agricultural technology adoption, agricultural resource optimization, value chain studies and impact assessment. He has over 50 publications in various refereed journals.

Christopher Sebatta

Christopher Sebatta is an Agricultural economist. He holds a BSc in Agriculture and an MSc. in Agricultural Economics. He is a PhD fellow in the Department of Agribusiness & Natural Resource Economics, Makerere University, Uganda. His research interests are in the areas of agricultural marketing, rural development and gender.

Kai Mausch

Kai Mausch, a Senior Economist at World Agroforestry (ICRAF), has been working on rural development for more than 10 years, exploring solutions to rural poverty from both the agricultural as well as the non-agricultural perspectives.

Elizabeth Ahikiriza

Ms. Elizabeth Ahikiriza holds a BSc in Agriculture specializing in Agricultural Economics from Makerere University (2014) and MSc in Nutrition and Rural Development specializing in Rural Economics and Management from Ghent University (2016). Ms. Ahikiriza has a passion for Rural Development Research.

David Kalule Okello

Kalule Okello David is an Ugandan Senior Research Scientist with a background in Plant genetics and breeding. Since 2007, he has been the Head of Groundnut Research in Uganda with the National Agricultural Research Organization. He has released 14 commercial varieties, published over 30 journal papers, 5 manuals, and 6 book chapters on groundnuts.

Esther M. Njuguna

Esther M. Njuguna is a social scientist at ICRISAT. She coordinates gender research to understand critical constraints for women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. A graduate of Wageningen University and Research Centre (Development Economics - MSc) and University of Nairobi (Agricultural Development and Economics - PhD).