Publication: Rural Women and Agricultural Extension in the Sahel
Date
1995-08
ISSN
Published
1995-08
Author(s)
Spurling, Daphne
Abstract
Women play a pivotal role in agriculture
in the Sahel. In Burkina Faso and Mali, for example, an
estimated 93 percent and 78 percent respectively of active
women work in agriculture. High levels of rural poverty
coupled with a fragile agro-ecological environment make the
contribution of women's productive activities to the
household and community a crucial element in the survival of
the rural population. As patterns of production change and
men migrate in search of work, the labor input of women is
increasing. Yet only about one participant in five in
extension activities in the region is a woman. In all the
Sahelian countries, the agricultural service projects funded
by the International Development Association (IDA) focused
initially on establishing national programs based on
Training and Visit (T&V) management principles. With the
second generation of these projects coming on line,
increased knowledge and systematic documentation of the
current and changing roles of women in agricultural
production were necessary to improve the targeting of
project activities.
Citation
“Spurling, Daphne. 1995. Rural Women and Agricultural Extension in the Sahel. Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs; No. 46. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/4fdd1495-0dc4-58bb-8c0b-fbe1b543af4e License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”