Table 1.
Summary of literature review on gender difference in agricultural productivity
| Author/s and year | Country studied | Crop | Sample | Dependent variable | Gender indicator | Productivity gap | Main reasons for the gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saito et al. (1994) | Kenya | Main crops | 750 households | Value of output/ha | Head dummy | 8.4% | Difference in input use |
| Udry et al. (1995) | Burkina Faso | All crops, sorghum, and vegetables | 150 households farming 4655 plots in four years | Yield/ha | Farmer dummy | 18% for all crops, 40% for sorghum and 20% for vegetables | Lower use of productive inputs by women |
| Tiruneh et al. (2001) | Ethiopia | All crops | 180 households | Value of output/ha | Head dummy | 35% | Women’s lower levels of inputs and limited access to extension services |
| Njuki et al. (2006) | Kenya | Crops, tree and cattle | 40 farmers | Value of output/ha | Plot manager dummy | No significant difference | Age, female labor and land size have a significant effect |
| Goldstein and Udry (2008) | Ghana | Maize and Cassava | 60 married couples with each four villages | Profit | Farmer dummy | Wives achieve lower profit than husband | Women’s land tenure insecurity leads to less investment in land fertility |
| Akresh (2008) | Burkina Faso | All crops | 2406 households | Value of output/ha | Farmer dummy | 32% (ranges from 32% to 50%) | Difference in farm size and vulnerability to rainfall shocks |
| Alene et al. (2008) | Kenya | Maize | 800 households | Yield/ha | Head dummy | 23% | Women’s lower access to land and education |
| Kinkingninhoun-Meˆdagbe et al. (2010) | Benin | Rice | 145 farmers | Yield/ha | Farmer dummy | 27% | Women lack timely access to services for farming and transportation |
| Peterman et al. (2011) | Nigeria and Uganda | All major crops | Nigeria: 3706 households; Uganda: 3625 plots | Value of output/ha | Head and plot manager dummy | Nigeria: 75% Uganda: 28.6% | Differences in socio-economic characteristics, farm input, and crop choice |
| Ragasa et al. (2012) | Ethiopia | All major crops | 7530 households and 31,450 plots | Value of output/ha | Head and plot manager dummy | Women achieve lower productivity | Women’s lower access to quality extension services, price information, and other inputs |
| Aguilar et al. (2014) | Ethiopia | All major crops | 1518 households | Value of output/ha | Plot manager dummy | Average: 23.4% (Tigray: 33.1%, South: 61.4%) | Differences in access to productive resources and its returns |
| Kilic et al. (2015) | Malawi | All major crops | 16,372 plots | Value of output/ha | Plot manager dummy | 25% | Differences in productive resources/endowments |
| Challa and Mahendran (2015) | Ethiopia | Coffee, maize and bean | 150 households | Value of output/ha | Head dummy | 66.76% | Women’s lower access to productive resources/inputs |
| Backiny-Yetna and McGee (2015) | Niger | All crops | 3968 households | Value of output/ha | Plot manager dummy | Average: 19% but ranges up to 66% | Shortage of male labor, fertilizer, and land owned |
| Mukasa and Salami (2015) | Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda | All major crops | Nigeria: 4017 Tanzania: 2530, Uganda: 2029 plots | Value of output/acre | Plot manager dummy | Nigeria: 18.6% Tanzania: 27.4%, and Uganda: 30.6% | Difference in endowment and structural disadvantages of women’s land size, land quality, labor inputs, and household characteristics |
| Oseni et al. (2015) | Nigeria (North and South) | All major crops | 2431 households farming 4240 plots | Value of output/ha | Sex of plot manager | North:28% South: no significant difference | Structural disadvantages of women in the northern parts |
| Slavchevska (2015) | Tanzania | All major crops | 6945 plots from 2182 households | Value of output/ha | Sex of plot manager | Weak gender difference | Differences in size of plot area and family labor |
| Ali et al. (2016) | Uganda | All major crops | 6999 plots | Value of output/acre | Sex of plot manager | 17.5% | Difference in child dependency ratio, access to transportation, improved seed, and pesticide use |
Source: Compilation of authors from various sources