The Unintended Side-Effects of a Major Development Strategy: Commercialization of Smallholder Production and Women Empowerment in Uganda

As many African countries promote commercial agricultural production, it is important to understand how this strategy influences the intra-household balance of power. Commercial crops are traditionally considered the domain of men, and women empowerment may suffer. We use a quasi-experimental design to address the relation between commercial production and women's voice within the household in rural Uganda. We compare empowerment in households in an area targeted by a large program stimulating rice as a non-traditional cash crop with similar households elsewhere using double robust regression methods. We conclude that the commercialisation program had a significant negative effect on women empowerment in production and women's control over income, while men's empowerment in those domains increased. We find only weak effects for social empowerment. Based on these results, we recommend that policies and programs to stimulate commercial agricultural production among smallholder include a strong gender component.

Automated summary

As many African countries promote commercial agricultural production, it is crucial to understand the impact of this strategy on intra-household power dynamics. Commercial crops are traditionally associated with men, which may hinder women empowerment. This study investigates the relationship between commercial production and women's voice within households in rural Uganda using a quasi-experimental design. The findings suggest that the commercialization program had a significantly negative effect on women's empowerment in production and control over income, while men's empowerment in these domains increased. The effects on social empowerment were weak. Based on these results, it is recommended that policies and programs promoting commercial agricultural production among smallholders include a strong gender component.