Agriculture transition and women's decision-making power in coffee-farming households in Lao PDR

dc.creatorDouangphachanh, Maliphone
dc.creatorIdrus, Rusaslina Binti
dc.creatorPhommavong, Saithong
dc.creatorJaquet, Stéphanie
dc.date2021-07
dc.date2021-07-01T09:42:20Z
dc.date2021-07-01T09:42:20Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T13:29:12Z
dc.descriptionThe Lao government introduced a new period of economic liberalisation with the New Economic Mechanism (NEM) in 1986. The present study examineswhether market liberalisation and women’s participation translated into changes in women’s decision-making power in the coffee growing region of the Bolaven Plateau in southern Lao PDR. While women have always been involved in coffee farming, their participation increased when the more labour-intensive arabica coffee plants were introduced to replace the less popular robusta variety in the region. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the study examines gender decision-making within coffee-farming households. The findings show an increase in women’s participation in decision-making with the introduction of the arabica coffee plants; however, men still hold higher decision-making power in farming households. While the NEM has brought about economic growth and provided better livelihoods for coffee farmers, this has not necessarily translated into women’s empowerment. Economic growth is not enough to bring about gender equality, and there is still a need for specific policy interventions.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/114160
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/60901
dc.publisherUniv. of Malaya
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceDouangphachanh, M.; Idrus, R.B.; Phommavong, S.; Jaquet, S. (2021) Agriculture transition and women's decision-making power in coffee-farming households in Lao PDR. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 26(1) p. 49-71. ISSN: 1823-4127
dc.subjectdecision making
dc.subjectgender equality
dc.subjectwomen's empowerment
dc.subjecttoma de decisiones
dc.subjectigualdad de género
dc.subjectpotenciación de la mujer
dc.titleAgriculture transition and women's decision-making power in coffee-farming households in Lao PDR
dc.typeJournal Article

Archivos