The Forgotten Farmers: An Investigation into the Sociocultural Roles of Female Farmers in Northern Laos

Abstract

In Laos gender inequality poses significant challenges to the livelihoods of rural female farmers. These farmers not only have to grapple with the daily hardships of providing their families with food and income but also face gender disparity, restricted decision-making power, and unequal access to development programming and extension resources. In this thesis, I argue that sociocultural factors are pivotal in shaping gendered roles and perceptions of gender equity. Consequently, this thesis poses that successful gender-targeted development programs require a cultural understanding of gender roles. The mixed-methods approach employed in this thesis led to two separate but interrelated studies. In study one, Household and Farm Operation Interviews determined female roles and the societal values of these roles. In study two, Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) and Pre- Training Surveys determined the effectiveness of gender-targeted training in Laos and the societal factors that impact female engagement. The data highlights that female farmers are responsible for a significant portion of domestic household and farm tasks. With data demonstrating that male and female smallholder farmers in Northern Laos spent an average of 6 hours daily on livestock husbandry. Further, the research determined that societal perceptions of female labour and female time poverty directly influence female willingness to engage with development programming. Additionally, the data indicated that the valuation of female household, farm and societal tasks continues to impact how Laotian societies consider female-targeted agricultural development. This thesis aims to fill knowledge gaps on female farming in Laos that have contributed to a history of Western-centric development programming in Laos and the wider Mekong Subregion.