Women empowerment and adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in Nigeria
African Journal of Economic and Management Studies
ISSN: 2040-0705
Article publication date: 8 September 2020
Issue publication date: 12 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study assessed the extent of women empowerment and empirically investigated its effect on the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices at the plot level in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the empowerment score and women empowerment gap for each household which were derived from the Abbreviated Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, a multivariate probit model which controlled for the influence of gender and women empowerment on climate-smart agricultural practices' adoption was estimated. The study made use of data from the ECOWAS-RAAF-PASANAO survey conducted in Nigeria in 2017.
Findings
The results show that men are significantly more empowered than women in four out of the five domains of empowerment and are more likely to adopt crop rotation. However, female plot managers have a higher likelihood of adopting green manure and agroforestry, while no significant gender differences in the adoption of organic manure and zero/minimum tillage were found.
Social implications
The results suggest that closing the empowerment gap between women and their spouses would positively influence the adoption of agroforestry.
Originality/value
This study represents the first attempt to examine the adoption of these practices from a gender perspective using a nationally representative plot-level dataset in Nigeria. Furthermore, this study contributes to existing literature on how gender differences influence technology adoption by modelling the effect of empowerment score for each plot manager, and the women empowerment gap for each household on the adoption of five climate-smart agricultural practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ECOWAS’ RAAF-PASANAO) with funding support of the French Development Agency (AFD), Agreement No: 18_AP3_TH3/2016/ECOWAS/AEWR/RAAF/PASANAO.
Citation
Oyawole, F.P., Shittu, A., Kehinde, M., Ogunnaike, G. and Akinjobi, L.T. (2021), "Women empowerment and adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in Nigeria", African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-04-2020-0137
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited