3.1b A TYPOLOGY OF FARMER HOUSEHOLDS; DIFFERENTIATING POTENTIAL FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

WHY USE THIS TOOL?
The participation of women in a particular value chain, and particular rural context, is not homogeneous. Their participation, in terms of work, control of resources and benefits, depends on the resources of the household and the household characteristics, with regards to ownership of resources, etc. The ability of women to participate in and benefit from a value chain improvement project is for this reason also not homogeneous; it is important to recognize these differences.

A typology of farmer families helps identify differential participation of women in productive systems. For example, resource-rich rural families work mainly with hired labour in the production; this increases the workload for women responsible for the feeding of the workers and reproductive work in general. In families with less economic resources, women will participate more in productive work. The extent to which they do so depends on the size of the family labour force and therefore the life cycle stage of the family.

WHAT DO YOU GAIN FROM USING IT?

• Visualize the differences and rationalities which exist in the rural set-up, focused on the different participation of women in the productive systems in terms of labour, control of resources and benefits.
• Differentiate between families in which women only participate as workforce and those where women control resources and benefits of production.
• Analyze the capacity of male and female producers to contribute to and benefit from upgrading and provide insight in their technical, business and marketing skills, current market access of the producers and capabilities for horizontal and vertical cooperation.
• Analyze potential positive and negative impact of value chain intervention on women, according the typology of farmer household.

WHO APPLIES THE TOOL AND FOR WHOM?
Practitioners, together with male and female farmers.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
An actor analysis is made. For purpose of the actor analysis, a typology of actors in agricultural value chains is made. The results are presented in the form of a matrix.

The main question is: are there differences between rural families in the way women participate in the production system in the particular value chain?

•  Are there differences in the way women participate in work (productive and reproductive)
• Are there differences in the way women access and control resources?
• Are there differences in the way women benefit from their participation in the value chain?

Relevant criteria to differentiate rural families can be:

• Resources of farm family (poor, small, medium farmer, etc)
• Technology used in production system: e.g. Ox traction can reduce man workload, and increase cultivated areas. As a result it can increase women workload. Hence women participate more intensively in ox traction production systems.
• Household characteristics: e.g. is the woman head of the household?
• Life cycle of household (e.g. small kids limit women participation in production, number of workforce in household)
• Ownership of productive resources
• Etc.

The box provided in annex 1 can be used to visualise the typology; naming each type of rural household identified in the vertical axe, and revealing the most relevant characteristics of women involvement on the horizontal axe.

See annex 1 for an example of an actor analysis:
Click here for a format for an actor analysis

Click here for an example 

CREDITS
Tool developed by Vanderschaeghe, Mieke and Lindo, Patricia, Participation of Women in Export Oriented Value Chains, case study of Value Chain of Málaga (Quequisque) in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua, 2003. UNIFEM, SNV.