Participatory mapping and gendered space: Kitchenspace, value chains, peanuts, and pesticides

Participatory mapping can be used to identify gender differences in the landscape. Beginning with women mapping dualities in “kitchenspace” in Mexico, researchers used this qualitative research technique to map the “path of the peanut,” the “path of the pesticide,” and agricultural value chains. In countries where women have considerably lower literacy rates than men, participatory mapping can help increase women’s participation in development research. In addition, working in women-only and men-only groups is a strategy for collecting sex-disaggregated spatial data that lends itself to gender analysis. Findings include the importance of food preparation spaces and gendered differences in access to transportation.