Is the food price crisis worse because of gender inequalities in agriculture?
Evidence suggests that persistent gender inequalities in agriculture may very well have substantially worsened the current food price crisis and exacerbated it effects. Figure 1 illustrates the gender gap in terms of economic roles and access to productive assets in Kenya, revealing a scenario common in many developing countries. This disparity between what women do and what they have indicates a highly inefficient allocation of resources that seriously inhibits growth in agricultural production. The supply side constraint that results from this inefficiency assumes increased urgency as price signals tell smallholders to grow more but inputs become too expensive for farmers to afford – disabling them from putting together the supply response that market demand would otherwise induce. Considering the proportion of resources available to women producers reflected in figure 1, their capacity to respond to market signals can be inferred. Figure 1. Roles and Access to Assets by Women and Me
