TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH ON WOMEN FARMERS IN AFRICA: LESSONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS; WITH AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Franzel, S.C. 1984. Modeling farmers’ decisions in a
farming systems research exercise: The adoption of an
improved maize variety in Kirinyaga District, Kenya.
Human Organization 43(3): 199-207.

This article examines farmers’ decisions regarding the
adoption of the composite maize variety, Katumuni. Data
were collected using both informal and formal surveys. The
informal survey indicates that farmers make two separate
decisions on maize varieties. They decide which variety, if
any, to grow of early maturing maize to prevent pre-harvest
food shortages and which variety to grow for the main stock
of maize to be consumed or sold throughout the year.
Although research and extension trials indicate that yields
of Katumuni are higher than traditional varieties, farmers
reject the composite variety as their main crop because they
claim its yields are lower than traditional varieties except in
times of low rainfall. Differences between management of
the trials and farmer practice may account for the
discrepancy. Despite a preference for higher yielding
traditional varieties, most farmers grow some Katumuni
because it matures early and can ease the “hunger period.”
A medium-maturity variety with good husk cover and
storage characteristics and high yields in normal rainfall
periods should be introduced because it would be readily
adopted by Kenyan farmers. Gender issues are not
addressed in the article.

Franzel, S., and H. van Houten (eds.). 1992. Research with
Farmers: Lessons from Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
CAB International for the Institute of Agricultural
Research, Ethiopia.

This edited volume reports on the lessons learned from
collaborating with farmers to identify problems and
experiment with solutions. Two sections of the book deal
with regions of Ethiopia that include maize as an important
crop. A number of problems facing farmers were identified,
including the shortfalls of food available during the pre-
harvest season, peak-season labor shortages, and land
shortages. Experiments with new varieties and technologies
were undertaken and farmers’ reactions are reported.
Gender issues are not specifically addressed, although the
section describing the farming system in Bako pays
attention to gender divisions of labor.

Freudenberger, K.S. 1994. New Technology for rural
women: Paradoxes of sustainability. Development in
Practice 4(1): 13-22.

The limited adoption of technology in West Africa is due to
economic constraints faced by poor farmers. The ability to
pay affects the benefits of technology, the distribution of
benefits, and sustainability. This article examines the
effective demand for mechanized mills in Senegal and the
Gambia. These mills were designed to relieve women’s high
work load. Unfortunately, most of the mills that have been
installed either are not working or are operating at an
economically unsustainable level. Women farmers generally
do not have enough capital to use the mills regularly.
Experience with mills and dehullers suggests that
sustainability depends upon effective consumer demand,
reliable operation of the machinery, and good management
procedures. The cost of processing adds as much as 25-50%
of the value of the grain and roughly doubles the amount a
women spends on all her weekly purchases. The low
effective demand keeps the number of people who benefit
from this development intervention low and weights this
benefit in favor of wealthier section of the population who
can afford the relative luxury. While labor-saving
technology for rural women pursues a socially desirable
goal, it often falls short because rural women do not have
sufficient income to take advantage of it.

Frischmuth, C. 1998. From crops to gender relations:
Transforming extension in Zambia. In I. Guijt and M.K.
Shah (eds.), From Myth to Community: Gender Issues in
Participatory Development. London: Intermediate
Technology Publications.

This case study details how simply expanding an extension
program so that it was participatory did not result in the
anticipated changes in productivity and well-being. Once
gender issues were explicitly addressed by the program,
many of these changes began to occur. Couples were
encouraged to attend meetings together and men and
women were encouraged to express their concerns and
preferences. It became clear that men and women had
different priorities for the extension service. The authors
conclude that gender is not the sensitive topic that some
claim it is and that it can be discussed and dealt with by
extension staff.

Geisler, G. 1992. Who is losing out? Structural adjustment,
gender, and the agricultural sector in Zambia. The
Journal of Modern African Studies 30: 113-39.

This article argues that the recent decline in agricultural
production in Zambia is the result of decades of
mismanagement and inappropriate policies under structural
adjustment programs. Adverse effects on maize production
of government policies from 1980 to 1992 are examined.
After the liberalization of the maize market in September
1990, maize marketing reached a virtual standstill. Because
of insufficient infrastructure and transportation and debt-
ridden cooperatives, most maize was not sold and many
farmers never received payments. Some Zambian farmers in
the border area smuggled their crop to Malawi to realize the
higher prices offered there. Smallholders rapidly shifted to
more profitable crops that need fewer purchased inputs and
had more secure marketing channels. This downward trend
in maize production is likely to continue since resources and
incentives for small-farmers are decreasing. Structural
adjustment measures have affected various social and
economic groups differently. The social costs have been
borne most heavily by the poor, particularly women.

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