Caribbean

Using village-level data from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, this paper questions the validity of the observation that women in the English-speaking Caribbean are concerned primarily with the production and sale of local food crops, whereas men are involved in export agriculture. In particular, the crucial contribution of women to the production of export bananas is emphasized. The Vincentian context and the village setting is first described, followed by a consideration of the substantive differences between male- and female-headed households in relation to land use and land tenure.

Jiggins argues that the neglect of gender issues in agricultural research and technology development has resulted in reduced agricultural output and household welfare. Jiggins states that normative views of gender roles are challenged a number of issues, including the scale of women's participation in agricultural production, food processing, and trade. Jiggins argues that the research community pays insufficient attention to institutional barriers which prohibit women from accessing extension, extension agents, and relevant agricultural information.