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Gender sensitive labour saving technology

Drum seeder: saving time, effort and money











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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Gender sensitive labour saving technology
    Drum seeder: saving time, effort and money
    2018
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    Asian agriculture is rapidly changing, with a shift from traditional labour intensive operations to labour saving technologies and mechanization at farm level and for post-harvest and processing operations. These changes are underpinned by a number of factors, including rising labour scarcity in rural communities in the region, increasing labour costs, the increasing feminization of agriculture and the development of modern agri-food chains in response to market demands (FAO, 2014). In Sayabouly province in Lao PDR, a labour saving technology called drum seeder has been field tested in support of the Sustainable Intensification of Rice Production (SIRP) by the Laotian Government, smallholder farmers and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A drum seeder is a manual technology used for drum seeding pre-germinated rice seeds, it is suited to both men and women farmers. This study compares the three planting methods (i.e. drum seeding, manual translating and broadcasting) using data from an initiative in Lao PDR. The results show that drum seeding in the rice production systems appears to be an attractive option compared to the traditional planting methods, namely manual transplanting and broadcasting. Its use saves time and money (labour and seed), reduces workload and drudgery and increases the labour productivity. The use of a drum seeder also contributes towards building resilience against climate change by smallholder farmers as they can cope better with erratic weather, and re-plant their field faster in case of losing their rice crops due to natural disaster. The inclusion of more women in the field demonstrations and training on the use of drum seeder (and other labour saving technology) will help to increase its adoption in rural communities and close the gender gap.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Empowering women farmers
    A mechanization catalogue for practitioners
    2022
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    Rural women across the world work along agri-food value chains performing numerous agricultural operations. Their work is increasingly affected by land degradation, climate change impacts, and out-migration. It is often unrecognized, unqualified, and unpaid. Moreover, the traditional division of labor often relegates women to manual, time-consuming operations with high degrees of drudgery. The combination of family responsibilities and insufficient access to critical services, information, and technologies, affects women’s work burden and their potential for income generation. For example, fewer rights over land make it more difficult for women to access subsidies, finance, or mechanization. There are three ways in which sustainable mechanization can empower women and respond to their needs:
    • as customers of mechanization service providers - reducing their drudgery, and freeing up time for resting or opting for other social or economic activities;
    • as operators of machinery and equipment or staff of a mechanization hiring services business - offering their service to others to earn an income;
    • as entrepreneurs managing their own mechanization hiring services agribusiness - providing a service for other farmers and generating revenue.
    The goal of this catalogue is to promote and support women’s access to sustainable agricultural mechanization as operators and/or managers. It lists and provides information on market-tested machinery and equipment for crop production and post-harvest operations. This catalogue highlights the potential for smallholder farmers, including women, to earn an income via mechanization hire service. The information for each machine or equipment includes:
    • its function
    • its main features
    • what it is suitable for
    • its technical specifications (key features only)
    • where to buy
    • its pictures.
    The target audience includes extensionists, gender experts, agricultural engineers, government officials, donors, micro-finance institutions, and implementing partners seeking to:
    • promote inclusive agricultural mechanization interventions;
    • reduce women’s drudgery and improve the efficiency of tasks they perform;
    • address gender issues in agriculture;
    • support economic opportunities for women as entrepreneurs.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Gender-responsive needs assessment for mechanization
    Questionnaire
    2022
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    The objective of the questionnaire is to guide the selection and promotion of mechanization that responds to the needs of women farmers for their benefit and empowerment. The information compiled builds interventions that reduce women’s drudgery, increase labour productivity, and create income and business opportunities through the provision of mechanization services in rural communities. This questionnaire allows for the collection of data to perform a gender-responsive needs assessment for mechanization. There are 35 questions divided into five modules:
    • personal information;
    • land, crop, value chain and division of work;
    • workload;
    • access to and constraints in adopting agricultural mechanization; and
    • mechanization services.
    Why do we carry out a gender-responsive needs assessment for mechanization?
    • Gender dynamics and social norms determine technology access and use.
    • Even though no role is necessarily exclusively performed by just women or men, the traditional division of labour tends to assign specific responsibilities along value chains to women and others to men.
    • Women and men have different technology and mechanization needs. These needs do not always determine the choice of machines and equipment.
    • Women tend to be more affected by the drudgery of manual work (hence work burden and time poverty). At the same time, men often carry out tasks that are supported by technology.
    • There is a need to identify critical gender gaps and constraints in access to local institutions and organizations that determine technology use and management.
    • There is a need to identify critical gender gaps and constraints in access to key formal and informal services such as information, repair and maintenance, training, financial and business development services, etc.

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