A feminist political ecology of agricultural mechanization and evolving gendered on-farm labor dynamics in northern Ghana

Abstract

Although agricultural mechanization is central to the renewed agenda for achieving an African Green Revolution, the increased deployment of mechanized technologies has been without critical analysis of the impacts on traditional agrarian labor division practices. Drawing on the experiences of smallholder farmers (n = 60) in northern Ghana using in-depth interviews, we examined the gendered labor implications of agricultural mechanization and how women and men may be responding to evolving on-farm labor dynamics. Our findings reveal a skewed deployment of mechanized technologies in favor of the culturally ascribed on-farm roles of men. This situation has produced a disproportionate labor burden on rural women who are compelled to endure manually in their non-mechanized culturally ascribed roles of sowing and harvesting even as farms are expanding. Although, generally, rural women bear the brunt of these incipient labor demands, certain intersecting vulnerabilities such as belonging to a monogamous household and having fewer or no female children tend to worsen the plight of some women. While gendered labor substitution could balance the disproportionate workload on women, the prevalence of strict culturally constructed gendered labor norms forestalls this potential. Given the painful routine choices rural women make to balance household labor demands, we highlight the need for gender-sensitive mechanization models and policy approaches that address prevailing social inequalities.

Keywords:

• Smallholder agricultural mechanization
• gendered labor division
• disproportionate labor burdens
• gender inequality
• new Green Revolution
• Ghana

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Nordic Africa Institute for funding this research. The authors are grateful to the smallholder farmers of Navrongo for sharing their experiences with us. The authors also thank their peers and professors for their comments during the presentation of this paper at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Geographers. The authors are also grateful to the journal editorial team and reviewers.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Nordic Africa Institute [Grant Number: NAI2015/120].

Notes on contributors

Moses Mosonsieyiri Kansanga

Moses Kansanga is a PhD Candidate in Geography at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His research focuses on sustainable agroecosystem management, food security and environmental conservation in smallholder farming contexts.

Roger Antabe

Roger Antabe is a PhD Candidate in Geography at the University of Western Ontario. His research interests include mining, agriculture and health geography in Canada and sub-Saharan Africa.

Yujiro Sano

Dr. Yujiro Sano obtained his PHD in Sociology at the University of Western Ontario. His research focuses broadly on development issues including gender and agriculture and health.

Sarah Mason-Renton

Dr. Sarah Mason-Renton obtained her PHD in Geography at the University of Western Ontario. Her research focuses broadly on environment and health.

Isaac Luginaah

Dr. Isaac Luginaah is a Professor of Geography at the University of Western Ontario, Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and Member of the Royal Society of Canada. For over 20 years, Dr. Luginaah has led several projects in smallholder farming contexts across Africa.