Gender and local soil knowledge: Linking farmers' perceptions with soil fertility in two villages in the Philippines

Abstract

Scientists often turn to farmers to understand soil management. This process reveals differences and overlaps between local and scientific soil knowledge but rarely considers women and gender issues. This paper examines men's and women's local knowledge of soils in upland, smallholder farms in two villages in Mindanao, the Philippines, using focus group discussions, semi‐structured household interviews, field visits, GIS and soil testing. Farmers' field areas were calculated and delineated based on their perceptions of the different types of soils on their land. Men and women chose the same plots for what they considered their best soil but differed on what they felt were their worst. The fertility of the soils that women considered to be the best and worst was not significantly different from that of the men's respective choices. There was a difference in fertility, however, between the best and worst soils regardless of gender. Although soil fertility analyses showed that the women's chosen soils were similar to men's, analyses of qualitative data showed that their knowledge of soils was different and was based in part on a gendered division of labour. A multidisciplinary approach helped bridge the gap between sociocultural and physical research.

Harvesting European knowledge on soil functions and land management using multi‐criteria decision analysis

“…Several studies have used qualitative research in environmental management (Failing, Gregory, & Harstone, 2007;Li, Woltjer, van den Brink, & Li, 2016) and soil sciences (Barbero-Sierra, Ruíz Pérez, Marqués Pérez, Álvarez González, & Cruz Maceín, 2018;Bouma, Kwakernaak, Bonfante, Stoorvogel, & Dekker, 2015;Christie, Parks, & Mulvaney, 2016;Ingram, Fry, &Mathieu, 2010 andOudwater &Martin, 2003). In this study, the workshop consultations and the reports (Sturel et al, 2018) were semi-structured to facilitate the data collection and processing required for descriptive statistics and data analysis.…”

Farmers' knowledge of soil quality indicators along a land degradation gradient in Rwanda

“…Crossland et al (2018), reported different spatial assessment of where degradation was occurring in landscapes among men and women in Ethiopia attributed largely to their access and control over different land areas. Other factors that may influence knowledge and manage-ment practice are gender-differentiated land-use decisions, land use strategies, preferences and motivations (Christie et al, 2016;Villamor et al, 2014a). Other literature (Villamor et al, 2014b) further indicates that men and women's risk taking and access to innovation for land-use decision making may be different.…”

“…Even within a single landscape, previous studies have not assessed indicators of soil quality along slopes despite their importance in land degradation. Research on gender and farmers' knowledge has mostly focused on the soil fertility component of soil quality (Christie et al, 2016) and has not assessed whether understanding of soil quality by gender influences soil management practices.…”

Renegotiating gender roles and cultivation practices in the Nepali mid-hills: unpacking the feminization of agriculture

“…Environmental knowledge and expertise are gendered (Christie et al 2016;Fortmann 1996), gleaned from people's "daily management of their living landscape" (Rocheleau et al 1996, p. 6). Failing to incorporate such gendered differences into development objectives can hinder the implementation of these agricultural practices, as well as exacerbate preexisting gender inequalities.…”