The Growing Gap Study

Intra-household dynamics and agriculture: Increasing women’s access to inputs and irrigation

Northeast Ghana

Collaborators: Maria Recalde, Markus Goldstein, and Tricia Koroknay-Palicz

2016-2018. American Economic Association RCT Registry # AEARCTR-0001699

Many smallholder farmers struggle to obtain all the farming inputs they need for optimal production, including quality land, irrigation, and complementary inputs such as improved seeds and fertilizer. Women face additional barriers in accessing these inputs, and a gender gap in agricultural productivity has been documented throughout the developing world. Even within a household, a productivity gap exists between plots held by the husband and wife.

We are conducting a randomized-controlled trial to test the impacts of differential gender-based access to improved, irrigated land and credit for inputs. The study combines two cross-randomized components. First, access to an irrigated plot of land via rental arrangement will be randomly allocated among interested households, with all households (treatment and control) receiving access to inputs on credit. This will allow an estimate of the impact of access to irrigated land rental in a region where irrigation is relatively uncommon.

Second, for all households who receive any contract (rental and inputs, or only inputs), either the husband or a wife will be randomly selected to be the sole “contracting member” who receives and pays for any land or inputs on behalf of the household. In a context in which men tend to have stronger access to productive inputs and women tend to have access only through their husbands, this study will offer evidence of whether direct access for women alters production or consumption patterns in the household, including whether or not aggregate output increases.