Gendered processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore ethnic minority women’s gendered perceptions and processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam. The key research question asks how women develop innovations and learn new agricultural practices within patriarchal family structures. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews including life histories were conducted with 17 female and 10 male farmers from different socio-economic groups; participant observation and key informant interviews were also carried out. Findings Women’s innovation processes are deeply embedded in their positions as wives and daughters-in-law. Their innovation tends to be incremental, small-scale and less technological, and they use innovation networks of women rather than those of the formal agricultural institutions, including bringing innovation knowledge from their birth family to the patrilocal household. Unlike men’s perceived innovation, women’s innovation is strongly linked to small-scale entrepreneurship, and it is a powerful approach in the sense that it strengthens the position of women in their families while improving the household economy. Research limitations/implications Identifying socially constructed innovation processes helps policymakers to rethink the introduction of ready-made innovation packages, both in terms of content and delivery, and to facilitate innovation for women, as well as men, in marginalized positions. Social implications Understanding the gendered processes of innovation instead of measuring gender gaps in innovation outcomes sheds light on women’s interests and preferences, which can inform policies for supporting women’s innovation and thereby lead to social change, including gender equity. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of gendered innovation processes and entrepreneurship associated with agriculture in rural areas in non-Western ethnic-minority contexts, which is an area that past and current research on entrepreneurship has relatively ignored.

Gender and firm innovation - A systematic literature review and future research agenda

“…Majority of the qualitative works studying the relationship between gender and innovation concentrate on a constraint-based view (Bardasi et al , 2011). That is, women entrepreneurs lack the legitimacy as an entrepreneur and are discriminated due to the stereotypes and gender roles assigned to their sex (Bardasi et al , 2011; Kawarazuka and Prain, 2019). This view is in accordance with the liberal feminist perspective, which is often used in small business research to explain female underperformance (Ahl, 2006; Fischer et al , 1993; Johnsen and McMahon, 2005; Robb and Watson, 2012).…”

Gender and rural transformation

“…In Ethiopia, decentralizing service deliverya reform thought to "bring policymaking closer to the people" -increases both men's and women's access to extension services, but men benefit more on some measures of access (Kosec, Song, and Zhao 2020). Farnworth et al (2018) and Balasubramanya (2019) underscore how women's lack of access to extension leads to gender gaps in information about new technologies, thus women continue to rely on technologies that require small investments but also yield low profits (Kawarazuka and Prain 2019).…”

Assessment of women’s benefits and constraints in participating in agroforestry exemplar landscapes

“…Agricultural extension services offer support towards enhancing agricultural productivity within the context of local communities yet women are repeatedly left behind in these efforts due to socio-cultural norms, limited access to information and gendered resource allocation (FAO 2019). Agricultural innovation for smallholding farmers is highly gendered within patriarchal family structures (Kawarazuka & Prain 2019), where women are often positioned in relation to their husbands and perceived as 'farmer's wives' instead of professional farmers themselves (Brandth 2002, Meinzen-Dick et al 2010. This perception has led to women's exclusion from agricultural training because they may be considered as 'unnecessary' (Peterman et al 2014), further limiting their access to tools and information.…”

“…The Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index proposes five domains of empowerment indicators (production, resources, income, leadership and time) which manifest differently in diverse contexts (Alkire et al 2013). Women's empowerment in agriculture has been found to benefit communities, for example, by diversifying nutritional input to children (Sraboni et al 2014), and benefit women by increasing their confidence, self-reliance and skills (Kawarazuka & Prain 2019). Increasing women's income is additionally positively correlated with children's highest year of schooling (Qian 2008, Luke & Munshi 2011, indicating that women's empowerment in agriculture ought to be a priority in rural communities to disrupt the cycle of poverty.…”

“…Women in Viet Nam made up 58% of the workforce in agriculture in 2015 (FAO, 2015), where more than 81% of the ethnic minority population were employed in agriculture in 2017; twice as high as for the Kinh population (UN Women 2017). Despite efforts by the Government of Viet Nam to increase gender equality -such as the promulgation of the Land Law in 2001, which decreed that agricultural plots be registered under the names of both husband and wife (Menon et al 2014) -women still struggle with access to land tenure, collateral for loans, infrastructure and financial constraints (Catacutan & Naz 2015, FAO 2019, Kawarazuka & Prain 2019. Women are additionally disadvantaged with respect to decision-making power at household level, although this is notably shifting, especially as seasonal migration is leaving more female-headed households in the wake of absent men (Green Climate Fund 2020, Kawarazuka & Prain 2018).…”