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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Titanium Hoes? Farmers, Wealth And Higher Yields In Western Sudan, Michael Kevane
Titanium Hoes? Farmers, Wealth And Higher Yields In Western Sudan, Michael Kevane
Economics
Village-level data from western Sudan cast doubt on the universal applicability of an inverse relationship between farm wealth and production per hectare, and the attendant explanation of imperfect labor markets. Wealthy farmers have higher levels of output per hectare; they use more labor per hectare. Insecurity in renting land, financing constraints and the absence of insurance are the vital elements in explanations of the observed pattern of variation in yields. Examination of the performance of land rental, credit and insurance markets in western Sudan suggest that insurance and financing constraints are the crucial market failures.
A Woman's Field Is Made At Night: Gendered Land Rights And Norms In Burkina Faso, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray
A Woman's Field Is Made At Night: Gendered Land Rights And Norms In Burkina Faso, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray
Economics
Gendered social norms and institutions are important determinants of agricultural activities in southwestern Burkina Faso. This paper argues that gendered land tenure, in particular, has effects on equity and efficiency. The usual view of women as holders of secondary, or indirect, rights to land must be supplemented by a more nuanced understanding of tenure. Women's rights are in fact considerably more complex than the simple right to fields from their husbands. First, women's rights to property obtained from men may be coupled with other rights and obligations. In many ethnic groups, women have share rights to the harvest of their …