Gender Differential in Productivity and Income of Haricot Bean in Misrak Badawacho District of Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This study investigates gender differential in agricultural productivity, highlights its key determinants, and estimates the gap in income generated from the production of haricot bean. The study was conducted based on data generated from 122 male headed and 39 female headed households from Misrak Badawacho district of southern Ethiopia. Descriptive and inferential statistics as well as econometric models were employed to analyze the data. The models used were Cobb-Douglas production function, and output decomposition model. The estimates of CobbDouglas production function showed that fertilizer, improved seed, pesticide, labor, total land size, project participation, number of extension contact, tropical livestock unit, and distance from development agent center significantly affected productivity of haricot bean. The estimate of decomposition model found that farm income differences between male and female headed household was 311 birr. Based on the result of the study, it can be recommended that enhancing access to resource endowment and institutional support is critical in increasing the productivity and income of female headed households in the study area.

Keywords: Differential, Gender, productivity, Misrak Badawacho, Haricot Bea