๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ โ Gender and adoption of NUS
Why do some traditional crops survive in farming systems while others disappear? And importantly, why are farmers often neglecting climate-resilient crops today?
A recent study involving PRIMA Partnership NUSTALGIC researchers examines how gender dynamics influence the adoption of neglected and underutilized species (NUS), namely ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐น, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ฒ๐, ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ. Using a ๐ณ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, the research explores how climate pressures, market incentives, and household decision-making interact to shape farmersโ crop choices.
The findings show that ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ, with differences in motivations, crop preferences, and decision-making power between men and women farmers. In many cases, women are more likely to adopt diverse cropping practices linked to ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, yet their ability to introduce or expand these crops can be constrained by limited decision-making authority, access to land, and prevailing social norms.
These insights suggest that the limited uptake of climate-resilient traditional crops is not simply a matter of agronomy or productivity. Social dynamics, gender relations, market incentives, and knowledge systems all influence which crops are grown and which disappear from farming systems.
Through the NUSTALGIC project, researchers are working with farmers, cooperatives, and extension services to promote the cultivation of climate-resilient crops such as lentil, chickpea, and food barley through participatory trials, seed dissemination, and agroecological training. The project also addresses gender-based barriers by strengthening womenโs decision-making power, improving access to knowledge and resources, and supporting inclusive innovation platforms where women farmers co-design agricultural solutions. By linking research, policy dialogue, and community engagement, NUSTALGIC aims to ensure that neglected and underutilized crops become viable and widely adopted options for climate-resilient and nutritious food systems.
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ ยฉ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐บ
As we mark ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ, this research highlights the importance of recognizing women farmers as key actors in sustaining crop diversity and advancing climate-resilient food systems.
