Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems

Agricultural mechanization can improve wellbeing and livelihoods in agrifood systems, but its benefits may not be evenly shared between women and men. This is a concern given the increased interest in agricultural mechanization in development programs. In this study, we analyzed data from 373 livest...

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Main Authors: Euler, Michael A., Cheesman, Stephanie, Farah Deba Keya, Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago, Mizanur Rahman, Krupnik, Timothy J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177388
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author Euler, Michael A.
Cheesman, Stephanie
Farah Deba Keya
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Mizanur Rahman
Krupnik, Timothy J.
author_browse Cheesman, Stephanie
Euler, Michael A.
Farah Deba Keya
Krupnik, Timothy J.
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Mizanur Rahman
author_facet Euler, Michael A.
Cheesman, Stephanie
Farah Deba Keya
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Mizanur Rahman
Krupnik, Timothy J.
author_sort Euler, Michael A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Agricultural mechanization can improve wellbeing and livelihoods in agrifood systems, but its benefits may not be evenly shared between women and men. This is a concern given the increased interest in agricultural mechanization in development programs. In this study, we analyzed data from 373 livestock producers in Bangladesh to assess the associations between adopting mechanized fodder choppers and gendered time-allocation, participation in decision-making, and control over livestock income. Accounting for observed heterogeneity between adopters and non-adopters, we find that the use of mechanized fodder choppers was associated with husbands claiming more influence over the use of livestock income. Adoption was also correlated with women's time savings in livestock production, which they used for additional resting. While the associations in this study should not be interpreted as causal relationships, we conclude that the gendered outcomes of the adoption of mechanized fodder choppers can be complex. Development programs promoting farm machinery may need to consider ways that allow women to capture benefits while employing safeguards to prevent a potential weakening of women's agency in livestock production.
format Journal Article
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institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
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publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
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spelling CGSpace1773882025-10-29T02:06:44Z Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems Euler, Michael A. Cheesman, Stephanie Farah Deba Keya Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago Mizanur Rahman Krupnik, Timothy J. agricultural mechanization forage livestock production women's empowerment Agricultural mechanization can improve wellbeing and livelihoods in agrifood systems, but its benefits may not be evenly shared between women and men. This is a concern given the increased interest in agricultural mechanization in development programs. In this study, we analyzed data from 373 livestock producers in Bangladesh to assess the associations between adopting mechanized fodder choppers and gendered time-allocation, participation in decision-making, and control over livestock income. Accounting for observed heterogeneity between adopters and non-adopters, we find that the use of mechanized fodder choppers was associated with husbands claiming more influence over the use of livestock income. Adoption was also correlated with women's time savings in livestock production, which they used for additional resting. While the associations in this study should not be interpreted as causal relationships, we conclude that the gendered outcomes of the adoption of mechanized fodder choppers can be complex. Development programs promoting farm machinery may need to consider ways that allow women to capture benefits while employing safeguards to prevent a potential weakening of women's agency in livestock production. 2025-12 2025-10-28T18:47:25Z 2025-10-28T18:47:25Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177388 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Euler, M., Cheesman, S., Keya, F., López-Ridaura, S., Rahman, M., & Krupnik, T. J. (2025). Gender (In)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems. Journal of Rural Studies, 120, 103839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103839
spellingShingle agricultural mechanization
forage
livestock production
women's empowerment
Euler, Michael A.
Cheesman, Stephanie
Farah Deba Keya
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Mizanur Rahman
Krupnik, Timothy J.
Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title_full Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title_fullStr Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title_full_unstemmed Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title_short Gender (in)equity and the adoption of farm machinery: Opportunities and trade-offs in Bangladesh livestock systems
title_sort gender in equity and the adoption of farm machinery opportunities and trade offs in bangladesh livestock systems
topic agricultural mechanization
forage
livestock production
women's empowerment
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177388
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