Gender differences in agricultural technology adoption in developing countries: a systematic review

Abstract

The color adoption of agricultural technologies varies across societies, persons and gender. Studies have shown that women have lower levels and slower rates of adoption of various agricultural technologies than men. In view of these, a systematic review was conducted to investigate the lines of arguments and factors influencing gender differences in technology adoption. The search for literature was conducted through AGORA, Google Scholar, Freefullpdf, Jstor, Science Domain, and Elsevier online databases. Also data were sourced from Awolowo University (Africana Section), Nigeria- Canada Project (NiCanVeg) and MicroVeg project. The findings from most studies showed consensus of male dominance in agricultural technology adoption despite the high proportion of women involvement in agriculture. The factors influencing gender differences in technology adoption included; access to resources (land, labor, capital, non-farm income, inputs and extension services), educational level, distance to market, decision making power, participation in associations, norms and beliefs among others. It was concluded that gender equality in agricultural technology adoption are not yet achieved because women are still constrained by several factors in employing their full potentials in agricultural production. There is, therefore, need for deliberate planning to mainstream gender into agricultural innovations to guarantee equality in its adoption between men and women in developing countries.