Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi
In Burundi, low agricultural productivity, high population density, and land scarcity are pushing rural men to leave their villages in search of income-earning opportunities in urban areas. This study investigates the implications of Burundian men’s rapidly increasing rural-to-urban migration in the...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Informa UK Limited
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177283 |
| _version_ | 1855513412321148928 |
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| author | Iradukunda, Francois Rietveld, Anne Zaremba, Haley |
| author_browse | Iradukunda, Francois Rietveld, Anne Zaremba, Haley |
| author_facet | Iradukunda, Francois Rietveld, Anne Zaremba, Haley |
| author_sort | Iradukunda, Francois |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | In Burundi, low agricultural productivity, high population density, and land scarcity are pushing rural men to leave their villages in search of income-earning opportunities in urban areas. This study investigates the implications of Burundian men’s rapidly increasing rural-to-urban migration in the context of banana cultivation, traditionally considered a ‘men’s crop’. This case study draws upon a sequential and mixed-methods research design involving 29 semi-structured interviews, 6 focus group discussions, and a household survey (N = 180). It aimed to examine power dynamics, gender norms, and intrahousehold practices related to banana management in the presence and absence of men on farms. Study findings show how household-level structural and relational changes induced by male out-migration challenge men’s hegemony over the banana crop. In the absence of their migrant husbands, wives tend to become the primary decision-makers over the banana crop, and increasingly take up roles and tasks traditionally reserved for men. This can have positive outcomes for women’s livelihoods and agency, and encourage increased investment in banana cultivation, but can also lead to social backlash against women who defy or bend gender norms. Moreover, in this context, women’s increased decision-making power is temporal, and frequently ceded to men upon their return. We suggest that gender transformative approaches could help to mitigate these risks while encouraging more just and joint household decision-making, including about banana crops. Finally, the study emphasizes the nuanced, multiple, and dynamic nature of gender roles and norms, reflecting men’s and women’s realities as heterogeneous groups with divergent lived experiences. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace177283 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| publisherStr | Informa UK Limited |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1772832025-11-11T17:38:56Z Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi Iradukunda, Francois Rietveld, Anne Zaremba, Haley gender bananas decision making burundi migration rural urban migration-rural depopulation In Burundi, low agricultural productivity, high population density, and land scarcity are pushing rural men to leave their villages in search of income-earning opportunities in urban areas. This study investigates the implications of Burundian men’s rapidly increasing rural-to-urban migration in the context of banana cultivation, traditionally considered a ‘men’s crop’. This case study draws upon a sequential and mixed-methods research design involving 29 semi-structured interviews, 6 focus group discussions, and a household survey (N = 180). It aimed to examine power dynamics, gender norms, and intrahousehold practices related to banana management in the presence and absence of men on farms. Study findings show how household-level structural and relational changes induced by male out-migration challenge men’s hegemony over the banana crop. In the absence of their migrant husbands, wives tend to become the primary decision-makers over the banana crop, and increasingly take up roles and tasks traditionally reserved for men. This can have positive outcomes for women’s livelihoods and agency, and encourage increased investment in banana cultivation, but can also lead to social backlash against women who defy or bend gender norms. Moreover, in this context, women’s increased decision-making power is temporal, and frequently ceded to men upon their return. We suggest that gender transformative approaches could help to mitigate these risks while encouraging more just and joint household decision-making, including about banana crops. Finally, the study emphasizes the nuanced, multiple, and dynamic nature of gender roles and norms, reflecting men’s and women’s realities as heterogeneous groups with divergent lived experiences. 2025-10-09 2025-10-23T12:17:06Z 2025-10-23T12:17:06Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177283 en Open Access application/pdf Informa UK Limited Iradukunda, F.; Rietveld, A.; Zaremba, H. (2025) Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi. Gender, Place & Culture , Online first paper(2025-10-09). ISSN: 0966-369X |
| spellingShingle | gender bananas decision making burundi migration rural urban migration-rural depopulation Iradukunda, Francois Rietveld, Anne Zaremba, Haley Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title | Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title_full | Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title_fullStr | Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title_short | Navigating social expectations: the gendered impact of men’s rural-to-urban migration on banana-cultivating households in Burundi |
| title_sort | navigating social expectations the gendered impact of men s rural to urban migration on banana cultivating households in burundi |
| topic | gender bananas decision making burundi migration rural urban migration-rural depopulation |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177283 |
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