Special Issue "Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021).

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Robyn Alders
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Development Policy Centre, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
Interests: sustainable domestic and global food; nutrition security/health security systems; individual/planetary health; gender equity; science communication
Dr. Nicoline de Haan
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi 30709, Kenya
Interests: gender; rural livelihoods; livestock; agriculture; animal health (specifically goats and plagues of small ruminants); natural resource management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue comprises papers that explore the multifaceted dimensions of gender equality in relation to sustainable development in rural areas in Africa, Asia, Latin America and The Pacific. Through a series of papers it explores promising approaches to research and the mitigation of gender inequalities in rural areas. The Special Issue looks critically at various approaches aimed at reducing gender inequalities within rural areas, from gender responsive technologies to the empowerment of women. It acknowledges that climate change is already negatively impacting many households in rural areas and that gender dynamics need to be understood to ensure sustainable development. This Special Issue attempts to tackle the following questions. How can the use of a gender framework promote individual and household development that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable? How important are gender transformative approaches?  How does the gender perspective fit into agroecological system thinking? What is the role of gender in relation to the search for sustainable solutions to humanitarian crises in rural areas? How do gender dynamics within development projects affect outcomes? How can we promote more equitable development in rural areas that acknowledges the needs and aspirations of both women and men? How do social movements fit within this discussion? What is the role of policy in this debate? And how does the rural–urban divide enhance or reduce gender inequalities?

Prof. Dr. Robyn Alders
Dr. Nicoline de Haan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Gender equity
  • Empowerment
  • Gender transformative approaches
  • Agricultural innovations
  • Social sustainability
  • Economic sustainability
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Rural livelihoods
  • Agroecology
  • Humanitarian crises

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Article
Gender and Sustainability: Learning from Women’s Farming in Africa
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410483 - 15 Dec 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 721
Abstract
Africa was the only continent not to achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of 50% poverty reduction. This paper asks whether Africa will fare better in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing poverty and hunger by 2030. To answer this question, we examine [...] Read more.
Africa was the only continent not to achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of 50% poverty reduction. This paper asks whether Africa will fare better in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing poverty and hunger by 2030. To answer this question, we examine a diverse body of literature and provide relevant longitudinal data collected over 13 years of field research. We find that ‘sustainable development’ is a failed concept immersed in the contemporary global economic system that favors growth over ecosystem stability and international institutions that undervalue women’s capacity for sustainability in their care-work as food providers. We examine barriers to women’s farming (climate change, gender bias, limited access to land, technology, finance) and provide examples of women’s innovative strategies for overcoming barriers in their care practices toward family and community well-being and ecosystem health. We find that Africa will likely repeat past failures without community-level interventions that empower women to achieve SDGs on poverty, hunger, gender equity, and ecosystem management. We uncover similar holistic thinking in women’s agricultural practices and scientific conception of ‘ecosystem services’. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries)
Article
Women Farmers and Agricultural Innovation: Marital Status and Normative Expectations in Rural Ethiopia
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239847 - 25 Nov 2020
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Sustainable agricultural development depends on female and male smallholders being effective farmers. This includes the ability to access or control resources and make the best decisions possible agro-ecologically, economically, and socially. Traditionally, gendered studies on innovation practice focus on female- versus male-headed households. [...] Read more.
Sustainable agricultural development depends on female and male smallholders being effective farmers. This includes the ability to access or control resources and make the best decisions possible agro-ecologically, economically, and socially. Traditionally, gendered studies on innovation practice focus on female- versus male-headed households. In this paper, we focus on married women in acknowledged male-headed households and women heading their own households to examine how marital status influences women’s capacity to innovate in their rural livelihoods. Using data from eight community case studies in Ethiopia, we used variable-oriented and contextualized case-oriented analysis to understand factors which promote or constrain women’s innovative capacities. We use Kabeer’s Resources–Agency–Achievements framework to structure our findings. Single women are more likely to own land and experience control over their production decisions and expenditures than married women, but engage in considerable struggle to obtain resources that should be theirs according to the law. Even when land is secured, customary norms often hamper women’s effective use of land and their ability to innovate. Still, some single women do succeed. Married women can innovate successfully provided they are in a collaborative relationship with their husbands. Finally, we find that gender-based violence limits women’s achievements. The article concludes with recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries)
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Article
Gender-Responsive Public Transportation in the Dammam Metropolitan Region, Saudi Arabia
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9068; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219068 - 31 Oct 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
The limited availability of public transportation in Saudi Arabia leads to an increased demand for private vehicles. An increase in using private cars does not meet the global sustainability goals, e.g., reducing energy consumption and improving the air quality. Road users should be [...] Read more.
The limited availability of public transportation in Saudi Arabia leads to an increased demand for private vehicles. An increase in using private cars does not meet the global sustainability goals, e.g., reducing energy consumption and improving the air quality. Road users should be encouraged to use sustainable mobility modes, particularly public transportation, equally accessible to both men and women However, women’s mobility has been somewhat limited and challenged in spatio-temporal terms, and partly due to socio-cultural barriers. This study attempts to understand the gender experience of a sample of public transport users and consider their aspirations and needs into daily mobility. A survey campaign (structured interviews and online questionnaires) was launched in the Dammam Metropolitan Region (DMR), taking four different types of respondents into account. The results suggest a predominant preference for taxis for shopping and leisure activities due to a poor public transport service, pivotally characterized by limited operational routes, hours, and infrastructure. This study ponders upon the adequacy of the supporting infrastructures and interior design of the public buses to women’s needs and compare them with global best practices. The results suggest that, due to the absence of a gender-responsive design and infrastructure, women are forced to use taxis, although privacy and a sense of insecurity often become concerns when traveling alone or with children. The study results allow future research to be expanded, considering women’s mobility patterns, needs, and embedded barriers by comparing the results with current transport policies, plans, and practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries)
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Article
How Will Mechanizing Mung Bean Harvesting Affect Women Hired Laborers in Myanmar and Bangladesh?
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7870; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197870 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1150
Abstract
Farm mechanization can promote the economic sustainability of small farms and in the context of cereal-legume systems strengthen plant protein-based diets, which support human health and environmental sustainability. However, mechanization inevitably displaces hired laborers who depend on manual farm work for their income. [...] Read more.
Farm mechanization can promote the economic sustainability of small farms and in the context of cereal-legume systems strengthen plant protein-based diets, which support human health and environmental sustainability. However, mechanization inevitably displaces hired laborers who depend on manual farm work for their income. Few studies have systematically analyzed the differential effects on women and men hired labor. Here, we use primarily qualitative data from Myanmar and Bangladesh to test the hypothesis that the effects of mechanizing mung bean harvesting—which is now commencing in both countries—are likely to weaken women hired workers’ economic and personal empowerment. We focus on rural landless women laborers as an important part of the agricultural labor force. The results broadly confirm the hypothesis, although there is variation between the research sites. Harvesting mung beans is the only fieldwork task available to many landless women, particularly married women with children, in both countries. Gendered restrictions on women’s mobility and their role as family caregivers, as well as norms about appropriate work for women and men, restrict women’s options regarding alternative work both locally and further away. The effects are likely to be particularly negative in locations with minimal off-farm economic diversity and more restrictive gender norms. Overall, men across all sites will be less affected since their participation rates in harvesting and post-harvest processing are low. They are less restricted by gender norms and can travel freely to find work elsewhere. However, women and men in low asset households will find it problematic to find alternative income sources. Less restrictive gender norms would help to mitigate the adverse effects of farm mechanization. It is important to invest in gender transformative approaches to stimulate change in norms and associated behaviors to make a wider range of choices possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries)
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Article
Impacts of Rural Women’s Traditional Economic Activities on Household Economy: Changing Economic Contributions through Empowered Women in Rural Pakistan
Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2731; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072731 - 31 Mar 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1375
Abstract
In Pakistan, as in other developing countries, rural women make ample contributions to the economy through vital productive and reproductive roles. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of women’s traditional economic activities that supplement their household economy directly through earning income and [...] Read more.
In Pakistan, as in other developing countries, rural women make ample contributions to the economy through vital productive and reproductive roles. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of women’s traditional economic activities that supplement their household economy directly through earning income and indirectly through savings expenditure and to assess the factors that influence their productivity performance. For this purpose, six rural areas from Khyber, which is located in the Pukhtoonkhwah province, were chosen to represent the south, north, and the central plain regions. About 480 women responded out of 600, which were selected using a snowball sampling technique from the entire three regions. The data was collected by conducting face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). About 68.33% respondents were illiterate, 47.71% were 31 to 40 years old, and 47.92% lived in a joint family system. Due to the strict Purdah (veil) culture, about 71.88% of the women’s economic activities were confined indoors, such as stitching; embroidery; basket and candle making; preparing pickles, jams, and squash; dairy products; apiculture; sericulture; livestock; poultry; nursery raising; and some agriculture-related off-farm activities. It was reported that the major decisions in the household are made by the male members due to the strong patriarchal norms and values. Development projects by the NGOs and the government have played a significant role to provide credit, training, and awareness that has arisen specifically in the north and the south regions. All of the women were aware of the positive effects of economic independence, but some of them also revealed the negative effects on their physical and psychological health as well as the social ties within the households and communities due to the extensive workload and time issues. The study concluded that many demographic social, cultural, religious, and economic factors negatively influence the women’s productive potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Gender Equality in Rural Areas of Developing Countries)
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