Gender, Place, and Agricultural Extension: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understand Farmer Needs in Liberia
Publisher: The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
Author(s): Rebecca Witinok-Huber, Steven Radil, Dilshani Sarathchandra, and Caroline Nyaplue-Daywhea
Date: 2021
Topics: Gender, Governance, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Libya
This study explores the intersection of gender and place with agricultural extension services to understand disparities in resource and information access and build community resilience in post-conflict Liberia. It emphasizes how such intersections may be further compounded by climate change and provides possible solutions. Using a community-based research approach, 352 surveys and 44 focus groups were conducted in 22 communities in 3 counties in north-central Liberia. Subsequently, qualitative, quantitative, and spatial analyses were done to explore gender and place-based differences in farmer access to agricultural resources and household agency. Study results show that women farmers have less access to technology, agricultural resources and information; higher, combined productive and domestic, labor burdens; and that farmers of both genders want more female extension officers. This study provides critical data to help effectively target limited expenditures on national extension services to smallholder farmers in post-conflict settings. Further, solutions for practitioners to adaptively mitigate farming challenges enhanced by climate change.