Effect of Group and Leader Attributes on Men and Women Farmers’ Participation in Group Activities in Zambia
Based on:
Journal Article (2020)
Brief by:
Research collaborators:
Content
A lot of interventions in developing countries by development agencies, and even government sometimes, are implemented through groups. In most cases these groups try to empower the vulnerable categories in the communities, for example the disabled, the poor and women, by increasing the numbers of that category in the group. However, there is not a strong understanding of what that change in the composition of the group does to the participation of the different categories of members in the different activities.
This research tried to answer that question by looking at 68 groups that were formed by the community selecting vulnerable members. It attempts to understand how selecting more women into the group affects both the women and the men’s participation in different activities. This is significant because we need to understand if ultimately the criteria of having more vulnerable members in the group leads to them getting benefits from the group, depending on whether those benefits are dependent on participation or not.
Key findings
We found that absolute participation in different crop production activities between men and women, despite women or men being more, was the same.
They participated similarly except for one activity, which is harvesting. The implication is that with harvesting, they needed to share the produce. This meant men participated more because of the social norms around men being the ones who sell the crop and have the income. Hence, there could have been more motivations for men to participate more at harvest because of the income connotations of sharing the produce they harvest.
We also found that reducing the members of one gender in the group increased their participation significantly.
Because women were the majority in most groups, they comparatively participated less compared to the minority men.
What it means
The importance of this finding depends on whether the benefits that are coming from the group are participation based or the aim of the group is just to share the labour. If the aim is to just share the labour, then this approach of having more women in the group might be effective at inducing men to participate in activities that they otherwise consider to be for women.
However, if the benefits of the group are linked to participation, it means it could be counterproductive because as the women increase, they participate less and so could get less benefits per capita.
Proposed action
Need to put into consideration the gender composition of the groups whenever a development agency is delivering interventions through a group
There needs to be careful consideration of the nuances between participation and benefits
Encourage group leaders to fully demonstrate and explain the agenda of the group to the members and to create a sense of belonging to the group
This could also be useful research for cooperatives, which are used a lot in agriculture to organise farmers and to deliver advice to farmers
Comments
You must log in to ask a question
Acknowledgements
Thank you to iDE Global
These insights were made available thanks to the support of iDE Global, who are committed to the dissemination of knowledge for all.
Special thanks to Jasmyn Spanswick for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Jasmyn Spanswick, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
Are you a researcher looking to make a real-world impact? Join Acume and transform your research into a practical summary.
Already have an account? Log in
Discover more
Effect of Group and Leader Attributes on Men and Women Farmers’ Participation in Group Activities in Zambia
Cite this brief: Mulungu, Kelvin. 'Effect of Group and Leader Attributes on Men and Women Farmers’ Participation in Group Activities in Zambia'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/effect-of-group-and-leader-attributes-on-men-and-women-farmers-participation-in-group-activities-in-zambia/
Brief created by: Dr Kelvin Mulungu | Year brief made: 2022
Original research:
- N. N. M., & Mulungu, K., ‘Effect of Group and Leader Attributes on Men and Women Farmers’ Participation in Group Activities in Zambia’ 26(4) (pp. 178–204) https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2020.1791926. – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13545701.2020.1791926
Research brief:
A lot of interventions in developing countries by development agencies, and even government sometimes, are implemented through groups. In most cases these groups try to empower the vulnerable categories in the communities, for example the disabled, the poor and women, by increasing the numbers of that category in the group. However, there is not a…
A lot of interventions in developing countries by development agencies, and even government sometimes, are implemented through groups. In most cases these groups try to empower the vulnerable categories in the communities, for example the disabled, the poor and women, by increasing the numbers of that category in the group. However, there is not a strong understanding of what that change in the composition of the group does to the participation of the different categories of members in the different activities.
This research tried to answer that question by looking at 68 groups that were formed by the community selecting vulnerable members. It attempts to understand how selecting more women into the group affects both the women and the men’s participation in different activities. This is significant because we need to understand if ultimately the criteria of having more vulnerable members in the group leads to them getting benefits from the group, depending on whether those benefits are dependent on participation or not.
Findings:
We found that absolute participation in different crop production activities between men and women, despite women or men being more, was the same.
They participated similarly except for one activity, which is harvesting. The implication is that with harvesting, they needed to share the produce. This meant men participated more because of the social norms around men being the ones who sell the crop and have the income. Hence, there could have been more motivations for men to participate more at harvest because of the income connotations of sharing the produce they harvest.
We also found that reducing the members of one gender in the group increased their participation significantly.
Because women were the majority in most groups, they comparatively participated less compared to the minority men.
Advice:
Need to put into consideration the gender composition of the groups whenever a development agency is delivering interventions through a group
There needs to be careful consideration of the nuances between participation and benefits
- Must consider whether the goal of the group is to provide labour, or to have benefits through participation.
Encourage group leaders to fully demonstrate and explain the agenda of the group to the members and to create a sense of belonging to the group
This could also be useful research for cooperatives, which are used a lot in agriculture to organise farmers and to deliver advice to farmers
- This is one of the cases of groups that such results are very important. It is important to understand how those cooperatives are composed and to generate insights into how that composition is affecting, especially, women farmers’ benefits that come through the cooperative.
Extra:
The importance of this finding depends on whether the benefits that are coming from the group are participation based or the aim of the group is just to share the labour. If the aim is to just share the labour, then this approach of having more women in the group might be effective at inducing men to participate in activities that they otherwise consider to be for women.
However, if the benefits of the group are linked to participation, it means it could be counterproductive because as the women increase, they participate less and so could get less benefits per capita.