The need for an engendered approach to agricultural technology

Given the large numbers of South African women involved in some form of agriculture, this Focus argues that a more engendered approach is required for the introduction of agricultural technology in rural areas. Such an approach would make agricultural technology more appropriate to the requirements,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agenda (Durban) 2010-01, Vol.24 (84), p.75-90
Main Authors: Hart, Tim, Aliber, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Agricultural Policy
Agricultural Technology
Agriculture
Appropriate technology
Consumption
Crops
Farmers
Farms
Females
FOCUS
Food crops
Household food production
Males
Men
Rural Areas
Sex
Subsistence farming
Sustainable agriculture
Technology
technology support
Technology transfer
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Summary:Given the large numbers of South African women involved in some form of agriculture, this Focus argues that a more engendered approach is required for the introduction of agricultural technology in rural areas. Such an approach would make agricultural technology more appropriate to the requirements, rales and responsibilities of female producers. While a number of women are engaged in commercial agriculture, the majority engage in agriculture for household food consumption requirements. Despite this, policies and programmes concentrate on the introduction of high-input agricultural technologies and infrastructure provision that are geared towards male farmers, most of whom farm larger tracts of land and produce for commercial purposes. This situation arises from the manner in which technology is developed (largely spill-over technology from large-scale industrial agricultural research), the overwhelming focus on commercial production, and the fact that the introduction of technology ignores the gender dynamics of rural livelihoods and asset accumulation. Current approaches to technology support do not appear to consider the circumstances of rural women. This argument is developed using quantitative and qualitative evidence from recent studies in which the authors have been involved.
ISSN:1013-0950
2158-978X
DOI:10.1080/10130950.2010.9676311