CABI News

Farmers grow sweet peppers in Jamaica.

Submissions are now being invited for a new collection of research articles, reviews and opinion papers focussed on gender and agriculture which will be published in the journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience.

CABI’s Gender Coordinators Sajila Khan and Bethel Terefe join Frances Williams, Director of Social Sciences at CABI, in guest editing the thematic series that aims to address gender gaps experienced by women in agriculture.

Significant discrimination

Women make up 43% of the global agricultural labour force but they face significant discrimination when it comes to land and livestock ownership, equal pay, participation in decision-making entities and access to credit and financial services.

Integrating a gender perspective in agriculture is important to realize gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agriculture sector, enabling women to participate and benefit from development.

The adoption of a gender perspective is also important to improve effectiveness of agriculture programs and policies, to improve food security, reduce poverty and increase resilience to climate and other risks.

Gender gaps

Manuscripts considered and accepted will be based upon strategies and approaches that help to address the agriculture gender gaps outlined above and will include topics such as the provision of gender sensitive advisory services and strategies that help bridge the gender digital divide.

Other relevant issues include strategies to strengthen women’s land rights, innovative approaches to improve women’s participation and access to agricultural services and their ability to make decisions on agricultural production and income.

Importance of gender

Bethel Terefe said, “Women’s involvement in the agriculture sector as informal family farm workers and formal wage employees is high and increasing in developing countries, due to male migration to urban areas.

“However, women employed in the agriculture sector face several challenges. Various studies, for example, show farms managed by women are less productive than farms managed by men, due to low access to agricultural inputs, labour and extension advice.

“We are hoping this special focus on the importance of gender and agriculture will continue to raise the issue and further knowledge within the research field but also have wider appeal for the progression of real change in the agricultural sector itself.”

Submissions before the deadline of 31 August 2023 are now being accepted here. Please ensured you read the submission guidelines and select ‘Gender and Agriculture’ in the drop-down menu upon submission.

Also, in your cover letter please make it clear that you wish your manuscript to be considered within this thematic series.

 

About CABI Agriculture and Bioscience

CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (CABI A&B) publishes high quality, rigorously peer-reviewed multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary research focused on agriculture, food security, and the environment.

Global agriculture faces many challenges today. How can we produce more safe, nutritious food in the face of climate change? Can we balance greater efficiencies with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity? Can we meet changing market demands and yet develop more equitable economies? Can agriculture provide a livelihood and opportunities for women and young people?

These problems require increasingly complex and urgent solutions from researchers and policymakers. That is why CABI A&B is committed to encouraging an inclusive culture of scientific discussion and rapid information sharing among researchers worldwide. We publish both large and incremental advances in science in both primary and multidisciplinary fields across the biosciences, agriculture, agronomy, microbiology, social sciences, and the environment.

CABI A&B is an open access journal, with rapid peer review, making findings immediately available to all readers worldwide. We believe it will help engender a clearer understanding of facts and findings, and help challenge assumptions.