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Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Millet

EPAR RESEARCH BRIEF #40

Mon, 06/29/2009

AUTHORS: Jessica Henson Cagley, Marieka Klawitter, C. Leigh Anderson

ABSTRACT: 

The millets, a group of small-seeded grasses indigenous to Africa, are an extremely important staple food in resource-poor regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Millet requires few inputs, suffers less from insect pests and disease than other grains,  and can tolerate areas even too hot and dry for sorghum.  These characteristics make millet an essential component of food security and risk management strategies for many Africans, though both consumption and production per capita of millet has declined in the last 20 years as farmers have shifted toward maize and rice production. This brief provides an overview of the role of women in millet production, and provides a framework for analyzing barriers to women and technology’s impact on women throughout the cropping cycle. We find that the shift away from millet may result in poorer nutrition and increased time burden for women where they must find alternatives to millet fuel, but that little is known about these consequences. Investing in improved varieties that account for both men’s and women’s preferences, introducing labor-saving technology, and increasing market access all have the potential to increase millet’s production and consumption on the continent. 

This brief is part of a series of literature reviews exploring gender implications of improved cropping technology in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each crop-specific paper explores the role of women in production, and provides a framework for analyzing technology’s impact on women throughout the cropping cycle. Click the links below to explore the other briefs in this series.

  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Executive Summary (EPAR Research Brief #64)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Overview (EPAR Research Brief #33)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Rice (EPAR Research Brief #27)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cassava (EPAR Research Brief #32)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Wheat (EPAR Research Brief #36)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Maize (EPAR Research Brief #38)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Sorghum (EPAR Research Brief #39)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Yams (EPAR Research Brief #51)
  • Gender & Cropping in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cotton (EPAR Research Brief #55)

TYPE OF RESEARCH: Research Brief

RESEARCH TOPIC CATEGORY: Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods; Agricultural Inputs & Farm Management; Market & Value Chain Analysis; Labor & Time Use; Gender; Technology; Technology Adoption

POPULATION(S): Women

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS: Sub-Saharan Africa

Downloadable Documents

Full Brief