Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda

Despite the dominance of female labor in agricultural production, female-controlled farm plots have lower efficiency compared to plot managed by male-headed households, which indicates a huge gender disparity in agricultural productivity. Overlooking gender preferences when designing interventions t...

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Autores principales: Musafili, Ildephonse, Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia, Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173687
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author Musafili, Ildephonse
Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
author_browse Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Musafili, Ildephonse
author_facet Musafili, Ildephonse
Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
author_sort Musafili, Ildephonse
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Despite the dominance of female labor in agricultural production, female-controlled farm plots have lower efficiency compared to plot managed by male-headed households, which indicates a huge gender disparity in agricultural productivity. Overlooking gender preferences when designing interventions that promote the conservation of soil and water resources might face challenges in adoption and could result in ineffective policies to close the gender gap. This study seeks to analyze gender-specific preferences regarding attributes of soil and water conservation (SWC) in northern Rwanda. A best-worst survey was conducted among 653 respondents, comprising 253 males and 400 females, representing 422 households surveyed between September and December 2019. The analysis of BWS data involved assessing attribute-level relative importance, Pearson correlation, and maximum difference scaling using multinomial logit (MNL). Findings from attribute-level importance analysis revealed significant gender-based disparities in preferences across three important SWC attribute scenarios: the high scenario (between 65 % and 100 %), the moderate scenario (between 50 % and 65 %), and the basic scenario (with <50 % relative importance). The study identified heterogeneity in preferences regarding the relative importance of SWC attribute levels. Pearson correlation analysis revealed substantial synergies among attribute levels linked to land consolidation, improved land tenure, and joint SWC decision-making between genders. Additionally, the study identified trade-offs among multiple levels of SWC attributes, including households' SWC decision-making and physical and structural measures. The results from MNL regression show that both males and females exhibit positive preferences for multiple levels of SWC attributes, but show negative preferences when it comes to household decisions involving multiple SWC strategies. The study highlights the importance of equal opportunities for males and females' participation in agricultural transformation through the adoption of SWC technologies as a fundamental step towards sustainable agricultural intensification. It advocates for gender transformational approaches to incentivize the scaling up of SWC practices and promote packages with lower uptake rates. Additionally, the study suggests enhancing knowledge and extension education in SWC to better understand diverse needs and preferences of female farmers.
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spelling CGSpace1736872025-11-11T19:03:13Z Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda Musafili, Ildephonse Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia Birachi, Eliud Abucheli agriculture women nature conservation women's empowerment gender-transformative approaches Despite the dominance of female labor in agricultural production, female-controlled farm plots have lower efficiency compared to plot managed by male-headed households, which indicates a huge gender disparity in agricultural productivity. Overlooking gender preferences when designing interventions that promote the conservation of soil and water resources might face challenges in adoption and could result in ineffective policies to close the gender gap. This study seeks to analyze gender-specific preferences regarding attributes of soil and water conservation (SWC) in northern Rwanda. A best-worst survey was conducted among 653 respondents, comprising 253 males and 400 females, representing 422 households surveyed between September and December 2019. The analysis of BWS data involved assessing attribute-level relative importance, Pearson correlation, and maximum difference scaling using multinomial logit (MNL). Findings from attribute-level importance analysis revealed significant gender-based disparities in preferences across three important SWC attribute scenarios: the high scenario (between 65 % and 100 %), the moderate scenario (between 50 % and 65 %), and the basic scenario (with <50 % relative importance). The study identified heterogeneity in preferences regarding the relative importance of SWC attribute levels. Pearson correlation analysis revealed substantial synergies among attribute levels linked to land consolidation, improved land tenure, and joint SWC decision-making between genders. Additionally, the study identified trade-offs among multiple levels of SWC attributes, including households' SWC decision-making and physical and structural measures. The results from MNL regression show that both males and females exhibit positive preferences for multiple levels of SWC attributes, but show negative preferences when it comes to household decisions involving multiple SWC strategies. The study highlights the importance of equal opportunities for males and females' participation in agricultural transformation through the adoption of SWC technologies as a fundamental step towards sustainable agricultural intensification. It advocates for gender transformational approaches to incentivize the scaling up of SWC practices and promote packages with lower uptake rates. Additionally, the study suggests enhancing knowledge and extension education in SWC to better understand diverse needs and preferences of female farmers. 2024-08 2025-03-18T09:45:23Z 2025-03-18T09:45:23Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173687 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Musafili, I.; Ayuya, O.I.; Birachi, E.A. (2024) Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda. Heliyon 10(16): e35518. ISSN: 2405-8440
spellingShingle agriculture
women
nature conservation
women's empowerment
gender-transformative approaches
Musafili, Ildephonse
Ayuya, Oscar Ingasia
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title_full Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title_fullStr Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title_full_unstemmed Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title_short Gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in Northern Rwanda
title_sort gender preferences for multiple attributes of soil and water conservation in northern rwanda
topic agriculture
women
nature conservation
women's empowerment
gender-transformative approaches
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173687
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