Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?

An increasing body of literature suggests that agriculture is ‘feminizing’ in many low- and middle-income countries. Definitions of the feminization of agriculture vary, as do interpretations of what drives the expansion of women’s roles in agriculture over time. Understanding whether, how, and why...

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Main Authors: Farnworth, Cathy Rozel, Lecoutere, Els, Galiè, Alessandra, Van Campenhout, Bjorn, Elias, Marlène, Ihalainen, Markus, Roeven, Lara, Bharati, Preeti, Valencia, Ana Maria Paez, Crossland, Mary, Vinceti, Barbara, Monterroso, Iliana
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: SAGE Publications 2023
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131603
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author Farnworth, Cathy Rozel
Lecoutere, Els
Galiè, Alessandra
Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Elias, Marlène
Ihalainen, Markus
Roeven, Lara
Bharati, Preeti
Valencia, Ana Maria Paez
Crossland, Mary
Vinceti, Barbara
Monterroso, Iliana
author_browse Bharati, Preeti
Crossland, Mary
Elias, Marlène
Farnworth, Cathy Rozel
Galiè, Alessandra
Ihalainen, Markus
Lecoutere, Els
Monterroso, Iliana
Roeven, Lara
Valencia, Ana Maria Paez
Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Vinceti, Barbara
author_facet Farnworth, Cathy Rozel
Lecoutere, Els
Galiè, Alessandra
Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Elias, Marlène
Ihalainen, Markus
Roeven, Lara
Bharati, Preeti
Valencia, Ana Maria Paez
Crossland, Mary
Vinceti, Barbara
Monterroso, Iliana
author_sort Farnworth, Cathy Rozel
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description An increasing body of literature suggests that agriculture is ‘feminizing’ in many low- and middle-income countries. Definitions of the feminization of agriculture vary, as do interpretations of what drives the expansion of women’s roles in agriculture over time. Understanding whether, how, and why the feminization of agriculture is occurring requires effective research methodologies capable of producing nuanced data. This article builds on six research projects that set out to deepen narratives of feminization of agriculture by empirically exploring the dynamics and impacts of diverse processes of feminization of agriculture. The researchers working on these projects reflect on how their methodological innovations enabled them to obtain new, or more nuanced, insights into the processes of feminization of agriculture. A first insight is that the way ‘feminization of agriculture’ is defined and operationalized plays a decisive role in the evidence we produce on the process. Second, bias in data on feminization can arise unless researchers examine well-recognized gender norms that mediate whether women are acknowledged by wider society as legitimate farmers. Third, the feminization of agriculture should be understood as a non-linear continuum. Research methodologies need to be capable of capturing dynamics, complexity, as well as multiple and diverse context- and time-specific drivers. Researchers need to exercise critical awareness of such biases when they are constructing data to measure or proxy aspects of feminization to avoid significantly underestimating women’s roles in agriculture.
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spelling CGSpace1316032025-10-26T12:56:11Z Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us? Farnworth, Cathy Rozel Lecoutere, Els Galiè, Alessandra Van Campenhout, Bjorn Elias, Marlène Ihalainen, Markus Roeven, Lara Bharati, Preeti Valencia, Ana Maria Paez Crossland, Mary Vinceti, Barbara Monterroso, Iliana agriculture data farmers feminization gender norms research women gender methodologies An increasing body of literature suggests that agriculture is ‘feminizing’ in many low- and middle-income countries. Definitions of the feminization of agriculture vary, as do interpretations of what drives the expansion of women’s roles in agriculture over time. Understanding whether, how, and why the feminization of agriculture is occurring requires effective research methodologies capable of producing nuanced data. This article builds on six research projects that set out to deepen narratives of feminization of agriculture by empirically exploring the dynamics and impacts of diverse processes of feminization of agriculture. The researchers working on these projects reflect on how their methodological innovations enabled them to obtain new, or more nuanced, insights into the processes of feminization of agriculture. A first insight is that the way ‘feminization of agriculture’ is defined and operationalized plays a decisive role in the evidence we produce on the process. Second, bias in data on feminization can arise unless researchers examine well-recognized gender norms that mediate whether women are acknowledged by wider society as legitimate farmers. Third, the feminization of agriculture should be understood as a non-linear continuum. Research methodologies need to be capable of capturing dynamics, complexity, as well as multiple and diverse context- and time-specific drivers. Researchers need to exercise critical awareness of such biases when they are constructing data to measure or proxy aspects of feminization to avoid significantly underestimating women’s roles in agriculture. 2023-07 2023-08-21T18:27:56Z 2023-08-21T18:27:56Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131603 en Open Access SAGE Publications Farnworth, Cathy Rozel; Lecoutere, Els; Galiè, Alessandra; Campenhout, Bjorn Van; Elias, Marlène; et al. 2023. Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us? Progress in Development Studies 23(3): 294–316. https://doi.org/10.1177/14649934231173821
spellingShingle agriculture
data
farmers
feminization
gender norms
research
women
gender
methodologies
Farnworth, Cathy Rozel
Lecoutere, Els
Galiè, Alessandra
Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Elias, Marlène
Ihalainen, Markus
Roeven, Lara
Bharati, Preeti
Valencia, Ana Maria Paez
Crossland, Mary
Vinceti, Barbara
Monterroso, Iliana
Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title_full Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title_fullStr Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title_full_unstemmed Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title_short Methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture: What do they tell us?
title_sort methodologies for researching feminization of agriculture what do they tell us
topic agriculture
data
farmers
feminization
gender norms
research
women
gender
methodologies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131603
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