Access, Ownership and Control: Gendered Inequalities in Agricultural Resources

This chapter examines gendered inequalities in access, ownership and control over agricultural resources. It makes a crucial distinction between using a resource and having authority over it. Women may work on family land, use livestock, borrow machinery, access a mobile phone or participate in a credit programme without having legal ownership, independent decision-making power or control over the resulting income. The chapter reviews disparities in women’s access to land, irrigation, livestock, seed, machinery, finance, extension services, digital technologies, markets and institutional membership. It explains that insecure ownership and weak control reduce women’s ability to invest in soil improvement, irrigation, crop diversification, enterprise development and climate adaptation. The chapter also discusses how male-centred agricultural institutions often exclude women from formal credit, insurance, subsidies, farmer producer organisations and technology services. It recommends joint land titles, tenancy security, gender-sensitive land records, collateral-light credit, women-friendly machinery, custom hiring services, financial literacy, digital inclusion and inclusive extension systems. The chapter concludes that equitable agricultural development requires more than granting women access to resources; it must ensure their secure rights, decision-making authority, income control, institutional voice and protection from exclusion.