The impact of new crop technology on the agricultural division of labor in a West African setting

Abstract

This article examines the implications of technological change in rice production on the organization of labor and distribution of resources within households in The Gambia. The findings suggest that improved technologies in rice production have transformed the status of the crop from a "woman's crop" produced in individual plots to a communal crop controlled by the male head of the household compound. This reassignment of status has largely increased the labor burden for all members of the household, but particularly for women. The study also found that factors such as lack of access to labor-saving tools and technologies, as well as reduced time availability due to household chores and duties, greatly affects women's productivity in individual farming plots, making them consistently less productive than men.