Input subsidy effects on crops grown by smallholder farm women: The example of cowpea in Mali

M. Smale and V. Thériault

Oxford Development Studies, 2022, vol. 50, issue 3, 244-258

Abstract: We examine the effects of fertilizer subsidies in Mali on the non-staple crop cowpea, often described as a women’s legume crop. We utilize a 2017/2018 dataset including both men and women plot managers in 2400 households. We find that women manage cowpea plots, as a primary and a secondary crop, less frequently relative to men. Yet, women also labor on male-managed fields where cowpea is grown as an intercrop. Results from the control function approach indicate that subsidized fertilizer received by the farming household reduces areas, and area shares, planted with cowpea as an intercrop. Subsidized fertilizer received by the household is negatively associated with the women’s cowpea harvests and revenues, with the opposite effect on men’s revenues. Findings raise questions regarding the subsidy program design, and its gender-differentiated effects, on production of underutilized crops with potential agronomic and nutritional benefits, such as cowpea.

Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13600818.2021.2008892 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:50:y:2022:i:3:p:244-258

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CODS20

DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2021.2008892

Access Statistics for this article

Oxford Development Studies is currently edited by Jo Boyce and Frances Stewart

More articles in Oxford Development Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().