Presentation by Tanguy Bernard, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, made during the “International value chains in agriculture: challenges and opportunities to address gender inequalities” session at the WTO PUBLIC FORUM 2016

1. Accounting for gender-related structures of
agricultural value chains
Tanguy Bernard
International Food Policy Research Institute
and University of Bordeaux
WTO Public forum
September 29, 2016

2. • Understanding supply response to trade opportunities requires
an understanding of micro-level structure of value chains
• In this presentation: gender aspects of value chain structures
with examples from Sub-Saharan Africa

3. Source: The World Bank and ONE Campaign
(2014), from various LSMS/ISA- based studies
Women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa consistently produce less per hectare
than their male counterparts.
Even after accounting for differential access to land.

4. Reasons include
 Differential access to labor
 Differential access to inputs
 Differential access to information
 Differential socio-economic returns from agriculture
 Potential disincentive to effort and investment

5. Two examples
 Preferences: women may value different types of incentives than
men.
Example from contract farming
 Norms: women’s earnings are dedicated to different types of
spending than men.
Example from spot market participation

6. Milk supplier of the LDB. © Patrick Willocq
Laiterie du Berger – a small dairy unit in
Northern Senegal
 Highly remote, semi-nomadic milk
suppliers
 Gender division of tasks: women in
charge of milking
 Most contracts are held by men
 Large seasonal and short-term instability
of milk supply
 85% anemic children
Example 1

7. Pilot test of a health-related incentive for
regular delivery
 Daily delivery of micronutrient
fortified product for children upon
regularity of delivery
 RCT-based evaluation amongst 430
suppliers
 Find large effects on delivery in
households where women have
better control of milk revenues
 Positive effect on children’s health
Example 1

8. Gender-differences in spending
responsabilitie in many SSA countries
 Men are responsible for large expenses
(housing, education, health)
 sell large quantities at once
 Women are responsible for daily needs
(condiments, meat, small supplies)
 sell small quantities weekly
Partly due to difficulties to save in cash
Example 2

9. Small quantity
sales
Limited to local
market with low
quality premium
Low incentive to
improve quality
(seeds and post-
harvest)
Low to medium
quality and lower
income
Large quantity
sales
Access to markets
with high quality
premium
Positive incentive
to improve quality
(seeds and post-
harvest)
High quality and
higher income
MEN
WOMEN
Example 2
Translates into production inneficiencies

10. Example 2
Possible interventions
 Innovative financial services
- sell at once, paid weekly
 Collective processing and marketing
- requires variety and quality
homogeneity
Need further piloting and evaluation
Women parboiling association in Benin

11. Thank you
Studies supported by:
European Commission, International Fund for
Agricultural Development, African Development
Bank, CGIAR Program for Institutions and Markets,
IFPRI