Increasing women farmers’ access to information in rural Uganda

Farming in sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly knowledge intensive. Small farmers often rely on informal exchanges to share information and knowledge on agricultural developments. What differences exist in the way women and men access information in farming communities in Uganda?

Collaborative researchbetween the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Uganda BananaResearch Program explores gender differences in the access and exchange ofinformation about different agricultural technologies for improving bananagrowing in rural Uganda. The research uses information gathered in a survey of400 banana growing households in 20 villages between 2003 and 2004.

Farmers in Uganda need torespond to a rapidly changing environment, including challenges related topopulation and environmental issues. However, formal agricultural extensionservices in the country are limited.

The research focuses on therole of social capital in spreading information about new agriculturaltechnologies. Social capital describes the way people live and work together:the institutions,networks, relationships and customs that shape society’s interactions. Examplesinclude civic engagement, social institutions, and family and friends.

Social capital plays a vitalrole in increasing a community’s capacity to exchange information and work together to address common problems. These include pest anddisease infestations, drought and soil fertility. However, groups and networkscan operate in ways that exclude or marginalise some members of the community.

The research identifies sixsocial institutions important in rural Uganda: places of worship, marketplaces, drinking clubs, weddings and other celebrations, school open days andvillage meetings. It also identifies activities to represent civic engagementincluding reading a newspaper and listening to radio.

The research explores thedifferent experiences of female and male heads of households, in terms ofparticipation in social institutions and civic engagement, and how this impactson their access to; and dissemination of information.

Key findings of the researchinclude:

• Social capital isan important influence on information exchange among rural households.
• Women and mendiffer in their access to different kinds of social capital - for example,women have less access than men to key social institutions: they attend marketdays less often, rarely participate in village meetings and are excluded fromdrinking clubs.
• Men are morelikely to receive and provide information about agriculture than women.
• Formal extensionservices stimulate information exchange in the villages surveyed.

The research shows that,compared with men, women farmers in Uganda are disadvantaged in their access toinformation related to agricultural technologies. This disparity can largely beexplained by differences in the way they participate in key social institutionsand networks.

The implications of theresearch include:

• Developmentprogrammes need to acknowledge gender differences in access to different kindsof social capital so they do not worsen gender inequalities
• As both women andmen join associations, group-based approaches to disseminating information onagricultural technologies should be encouraged.
• Groups with bothfemale and male members would be beneficial.
• Informationdissemination will work best through a combination of formal extensionprogrammes and informal community-based approaches.