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![Knowledge and capacity
awareness
Farmers preferred to purchase
seed from the village,
(relations of trust between the
seller and buyer).
Preference for men to buy
seed from the local market
because they have
knowledge that women don’t
have (‘bad seed’)
Men had access to
knowledge networks that
women did not have (e.g.
markets, training etc).
P: We sell [seed] but we only
sell that one which we will
have left without sticks in the
field, the bad seed
P: my husband would rather
buy because I may buy seeds
with diseases …I have never
gone to buy seed potato
we are still tied in our own
houses
P: we women are always
home so we can plant the
same variety for 3 – 4 years
and it will lose its power](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/day207mudegegendernormsandmarketingofseedandwarepotatoinntcheuanddedzadistrictsinmalawi-141031152109-conversion-gate01/75/Gender-norms-and-marketing-of-seed-and-ware-potato-in-Ntcheu-and-Dedza-districts-in-Malawi-8-2048.jpg)
Gender norms and marketing of seed and ware potato in Ntcheu and Dedza districts in Malawi
1) The document examines how gender influences seed potato and ware potato marketing in Malawi, finding that social norms result in men having greater access to knowledge networks, training, and control over crop income. 2) Women often sell seed out of necessity rather than opportunity, and have less access to quality seed due to affordability issues and perceptions that they lack knowledge about seed quality. 3) The study recommends targeting women with training on quality seed production and exploring use of mobile money to make potato marketing more inclusive of women.
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Gender norms and marketing of seed and ware potato in Ntcheu and Dedza districts in Malawi
- 1. Gender Norms andmarketing of seed and ware potato in Ntcheu and Dedza Districts in Malawi Netsayi N Mudege, Kapalasa E, Chevo T, Nyekanyeka T & Demo P RTB Annual Meeting Imperial Golf Course View Hotel September 29-October 4 2014
- 2. Structure of thepresentation Background Specific objectives Seed acquisition and accessibility of seed (through informal market channels) Source and delivery channels Knowledge and capacity awareness , Affordability opportunity costs and profitability Conclusions
- 3. Background Integrating genderin RTB thematic research to enhance development outcomes Understanding gender dimensions of seed systems in order to provide input into the development of gender responsive interventions and a gender responsive RTB seed systems framework How gender and other social factors and norms affects access to quality seed and seed security for men and women farmers Examine sources of new seed technology and access to information on seed by both men and women (Malawi and Bangladesh)
- 4. Specific Objectives Understand how gender influence seed potato and ware potato marketing with what implications on access to quality seed by men and women farmers Examine the market as a source of new seed technology and access to information on seed by both men and women Provide recommendations for the Irish AID potato project in Malawi to ensure the design of a seed system that will be able to benefit both men and women.
- 5. Methodology RTB seedsystems framework Seed availability Seed acquisition and accessibility of seed (Source and delivery channels, Knowledge and capacity awareness , Affordability opportunity costs and profitability) Seed quality (health, physiological stage and purity) Policies and Regulations (Formal and Informal) Sustainability and resilience Equity and gender Sex disaggregated focus group discussions with farmers (35 FGDs– average of 10 per farmers per group) Individual interviews extension officers & representatives of private organisations (5)
- 6. Seed acquisition and accessibility of seed
- 7. Sources and deliverychannels Local farmers and nearby local markets Why farmers sell seed? Poor storage facilities which meant that farmers lost most of their seed to rot (mentioned by men) Inability by farmers to expand production due to limited access to other inputs such as fertilizer (mentioned by men – men’s duty to purchase inputs) To generate cash income to buy fertiliser (men) Small sells to ‘lessen poverty in the home’ (mentioned by women)
- 8. Knowledge and capacity awareness Farmers preferred to purchase seed from the village, (relations of trust between the seller and buyer). Preference for men to buy seed from the local market because they have knowledge that women don’t have (‘bad seed’) Men had access to knowledge networks that women did not have (e.g. markets, training etc). P: We sell [seed] but we only sell that one which we will have left without sticks in the field, the bad seed P: my husband would rather buy because I may buy seeds with diseases …I have never gone to buy seed potato we are still tied in our own houses P: we women are always home so we can plant the same variety for 3 – 4 years and it will lose its power
- 9. Knowledge and capacity awareness Type of training Awareness (%) Trained (%) Practicing (%) Men Women Men Women Men Women Positive and negative selection 71 62 73 67 77 66 Diffused Light Store (DLS) 42 35 39 49 47 34 Marketing and Profit Calculation 30 21 68 33 35 23 Women mostly less aware of, less trained in marketing and profit calculation. Why? Knowledge related to seed and ware potato marketing may end up being concentrated among men & women may miss out on income related to selling of seed).
- 10. Ware potato marketing Who participates where depends on size of market (whether selling in bulk or small quantities), cash involved and plot ownership, uxorilocal/virilocal, Large number of independent traders/vendors, group marketing – Changing trends ‘When we sell the potato at the market the buyers will ask us to carry the potato seed to where they are going so the men don’t want that so they say it is women’s job
- 11. Group marketing approaches Groups marketed both seed (to other farmers) and ware potato (to private companies) No group seed quality control mechanisms for individually produced seed Group income from private companies was usually paid to household head who are usually men
- 12. Affordability Pricingof seed on local markets depends on local perception of what good seed and ‘bad seed’ are. Both men and women farmers expressed the willingness to pay a higher price for good quality but women mentioned a lower affordable price than men Some women mentioned that they bought ‘bad seed’ knowingly because they could not afford the good quality seed. Compared to men women preferred non-cash based payments for seed P: We will be lying to say this and that family can afford to buy, people don’t have money to buy the seed. It is difficult to get money and when you get money you have to buy food for the children to eat. (women producer group members)
- 13. Conclusion Assellers of seed women were often not participating from a position of power but often as ‘stress sellers’ Perceived lack of knowledge related to potato seed among women led men to ‘own’ and control the crop and its income – access to training is potentially empowering for women Women need to be targeted with training on on-farm production of quality seed in order to address bottlenecks in terms of access to seed – commercialization of seed production alone may not address their needs. Private sector companies may need to explore the role of ICT systems (mobile money payments) in order to make ware potato marketing more gender responsive.
- 14. Framework: Seed acquisitionand accessibility of seed Gender is an important component of seed systems framework Social Barriers vs ‘infrastructural determinism’ in distribution channels - Chamberlin and Jayne, 2013 The framework is sufficiently flexible since it takes account of context and structural factors (Policies and Regulations) structural limitations at local level are not well examined by the framework (e.g. weak farmer trading associations) Could also focus more on the social factors that affect seed quality, accessibility and affordability Social factors that may restrict men and women from participating and benefiting from seed and ware potato markets Framework could take into account how interventions impact on social formations (including gender).
- 15. Men and women’svoices matter in designing gender equitable and efficient seed systems
Editor's Notes
- #6 Accessibility is understood from 3 distinct but interconnected pillars of a) delivery channels;, b) affordability to farmers to access seed and profitability (for farmers and seed producers who can also be local farmers where seed multiplication is decentralized) as well ; and, c) knowledge, capacity and awareness referring to information systems to create awareness and demand Seed availability is affected by ‘shortage of healthy planting material, pests and diseases and unreliable markets during surplus production’ as well as prolonged droughts and dry spells that can kill any surviving vines (Kapingai, et al, 2005:1169).
- #8 [meaning selling some seed to gain an income to purchase food and other items for use in the house Women as stress sellers
- #9 Whilst it was preferred that when seed was bought from the local market men purchase it because they could tell the good seed from the bad, when buying within villages both men and women could buy because they were usually buying from people whom they knew and trusted. Men and women also visited other farmer’s fields to see which farmer had good seed in the village before purchasing. we are still tied in our own houses’ [meaning we do not have the freedom to decide anything] and the rules of the family are such that women left those responsibilities to men
- #10 Women are least likely to practice what they learn compared to men because of lack of follow up and support services Training on profit and calculation is usually done outside the village and male extension workers and chiefs often find it easier to recruit male heads of household for training compared to their wives – according to them it is hard for them to invite the wife for training whilst leaving out the husband.
- #11 When potato quantities are small, men did not regard it as worthwhile to go to the market but allowed the women sell and use the money for buying soap or relish. In some instances where marketing involved activities that men found embarrassing, like carrying bought purchases for their customers, marketing was regarded as a woman’s job: The marketing situation was regarded as changing with more and more women being engaged in marketing of potato mainly because of lack of trust between men and women, where women feared that men would not bring back money home if they went alone to the market. The fight over control of resources was mentioned as the key reason why women are now increasingly engaged in marketing of potato. How ownership of the crop being sold was defined also determined whether men or women or both participated in selling the crop at the market. For example, the distinction between the ‘family field’(under the control of men in many cases) and ‘own field’(controlled by women) also apportioned rights and responsibilities towards the marketing of commodities.
- #12 in many communities in the study men constituted the bulk of group members so where more likely than women in the community to benefit from group marketing men who were household heads would receive the money from group marketed produce on behalf of their households.
- #13 (women 2.96USD and men between 14.8USD & 23.6USD) per 25litre pail for good seed)
- #15 Assumption that when farmers are trained and know seed quality will improve seed degeneration through pests, diseases, storage, genetic degeneration Farmers intentionally selling bad seed (Inherent assumption that when farmers are trained and know seed quality will improve) gender)and not just on how interventions affect access to seed or seed quality