wishing to grow maize. These policies caused a
redistribution of production from commercial farmers
along the railroad to smallholder farmers in more remote
areas and led to a significant increase in the amount of land
under maize production. These policies proved to be
economically unsustainable and have been gradually
removed since the late 1980s. The result has been a shift
away from maize production, especially in remote areas. No
mention of gender is made in this paper. Its major
contribution is the insight it offers into how policy shaped
the adoption patterns of maize in Zambia.
Ikpi, A. 1992. Household time allocation—The ultimate
determinant of improved agricultural technology
adoption in Nigeria: An empirical activity interphase
impact model. In G.H. Peters and B.F. Stanton (eds.),
Sustainable Agricultural Development: The Role of
International Cooperation. Dartmouth, UK:
International Association of Agricultural Economists.
Pp. 481-501.
Households engage in activities in three sectors: the farming
sector, non-farming commercial activities, and the non-
monetized home production sector. This paper presents
detailed descriptions of time use for a nationally
representative sample of Nigerian households. The authors
demonstrate that the introduction of a new technology in
the farming sector will shift the balance of labor allocation
in all three activity sectors of the household.
Jackson, C. 1985. The Kano River Irrigation Project. West
Hartford, Connecticut: Kumarian Press.
The Kano River Project was designed to implement new
methods of irrigation in the Hausaland region of northern
Nigeria. Results of the project were mixed: land reallocation
was inefficiently implemented, living standards were not
significantly improved, participants in the project expressed
a feeling of disruption, and unforeseen difficulties arose.
There are two vastly different social structures in the project
area. The majority of the Hausa (95%) are Muslim and
practice wife seclusion. This gives rise to highly separate
spheres of activity for men and women. These secluded
Muslim women are mainly petty commodity producers,
whose limited agricultural work is often paid in kind.
Muslim women have experienced both positive and
negative effects from the project. They have been able to
expand their role as snack food producers and have adapted
to changes in supply and demand. Non-Muslim women, on
the other hand, play a much more integral role in farm and
household work. The project had detrimental effects on
these women because firewood and other inputs for beer
making became less available. In addition, more of their
time was required on family farms as opposed to their own
plots. Women were not consulted in any way in the
implementation of this project. One interesting result of the
project is that seclusion is becoming increasingly popular
and marriage ages are declining.
Jackson, C. 1995. From conjugal contracts to
environmental relations: Some thought on labour and
technology. IDS Bulletin 26(1): 33-39.
The gender division of labor usually suggests that tasks are
clearly defined by gender. The author claims that it is
important to consider conjugal contracts, which specify
responsibilities, but there are many ways that women can
fulfill these responsibilities. For example, in several different
areas in Zimbabwe, the responsibility for processing grain
may involve grinding it oneself or taking it to mills. Maize
is preferred to other grains, such as sorghum or millet,
because it is easier to process. However, the author notes
that the link between sustaining the environment and
improving women’s lives is not necessarily clear in this
case—women prefer maize even when other grains are more
environmentally appropriate.
Jansen, H.G.P. 1993. Ex-ante profitability of animal
traction investments in semi-arid Sub-Saharan Africa:
Evidence from Niger and Nigeria. Agricultural Systems
43: 323-49.
In Niger and Nigeria, millet is the primary staple crop.
Animal traction with oxen is found to be profitable only in
conjunction with cash crops such as cotton or cowpea. In
areas with closed or nearly closed land frontiers, animal
traction investments are not likely to be profitable because
they depend critically on the availability of fallow land. The
results can not be generalized to other areas of maize
production. Many factors in animal traction adoption are
region specific, such as the presence of the tse-tse fly,
available grazing land, and climactic variables.
Jayne, T.S., and M. Rukuni. 1993. Distributional effects of
maize self-sufficiency in Zimbabwe. Food Policy. Pp.
334-41.
The authors examine the effects of policies to promote
maize self-sufficiency in Zimbabwe. They conclude that
there may be a significant trade-off between self-sufficiency
in food production and food affordability. Approximately
40% of rural farmers are maize purchasers. In the poorer
areas, this number may be significantly higher. These
farmers are net purchasers due to the binding constraints of
limited land, oxen, and the need for non-farm income to
finance inputs. Policies to promote self-sufficiency in maize
benefit a small number of relatively wealthy commercial
maize farmers at the expense of net purchasers of maize in
urban and rural areas. The authors suggest that a policy of
self-reliance involving imports, rather than self-sufficiency,
should be established.
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