Steered Away from the Fields: Impacts of Mechanization on Agricultural Production and Intra-Household Labor Supply
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Washington, DC: World Bank
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In many lower-income countries, rural households depend heavily on farming for their livelihoods, yet limited access to labor-saving technologies constrains productivity and earnings. This study evaluates a two-year randomized phase-in trial with more than 2,000 cotton farmers in rural Côte d’Ivoire, implemented by the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL), which tested the effects of a matching grant covering half the cost of acquiring a pair of oxen. The intervention led to a 7 percent increase in cotton revenue in the delivery season and enabled treated households to cultivate 6 percent more land and raise their use of complementary inputs by 15 percent the following year. Beyond productivity gains, the program generated meaningful intra-household benefits: wives and daughters experienced reduced farm labor burdens, and girls’ health improved. These findings underscore how mechanization in male-dominant agricultural tasks can drive both economic and welfare improvements while revealing the gender norms that shape technology adoption and its potential for broader structural transformation.
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TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, GENDER NORMS, COTTON FARMERS, WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' HEALTH