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The Household, Women and Agricultural Development

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The Household, Women and Agricultural Development 64-055.2(6) MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS 17 (1980) LANDBOUWHOGESCHOOL WAGENINGEN THE NETHERLANDS THE HOUSEHOLD, WOMEN AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT Proceedings of a symposium organized by the Department of Home Economics, Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands 18-20 January 1979 edited by CLIO PRESVELOU and SASKIA SPIJKERS-ZWART H.VEENMA N &ZONE N B.V. - WAGENINGEN - 1980 , . "TTIEEK -,:'.'•. :"• .v;•'••', Hu'.iKSCHOOL Cover design :Wi m de Kloe Maps: P. Holleman CONTENTS Preface 1 C. Presvelou and Introduction 3 S. I. Spijkers-Zwart H. C. v. d. Pias Opening address 7 E. Boserup The position of women in economic production and in the household, with special reference to Africa . 11 J. H. Konter The deteriorating position of African women in the development from a subsistence economy towards a market economy 17 L. B. Venema Male and female farming systems and agricultural intensification inWes tAfric a : thecas eo fth e Wolof, Senegal 27 E. Boserup Food production and the household as related to rural development 35 J. H. B.de n Ouden Incorporation and changes in the composite hou­ sehold. The effects of coffee introduction and food crop commercialization in two Bamiléké chiefdoms, Cameroon 41 S. I. Spijkers-Zwart Thehousehol d and 'householding'; som econceptua l considerations 69 G. Thomas-Lycklama à The household, a woman's cage? A policy perspec­ Nijeholt tive 75 I. Janelid Rural development programmes and the farm hou­ sehold as a unit of observation and action .... 83 C. Presvelou Rural women and development aid 101 R. A. J. van Lier Development aid and research in relation to agricul­ ture and households 109 S. I. Spijkers-Zwart Discussions 119 C. Presvelou Conclusions 127 PREFACE The household and the process of agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa, with specialemphasi s on women's role,wa s the centralthem e of a Symposium held by the Department of Home Economics of the Agricultural University Wageningen (The Netherlands), from 18-20 January 1979. The objective of the Symposium was to organize an exchange of ideasamongs t representatives ofvariou s scientific disciplines, researchers and policymakers in order to try and formulate the contribution of Home Economics to rural development in Third World countries. On the first day of the Symposium Dr. Ester Boserup, Dr. Honoris Causa of this University, presented a paper toa larg eaudience .Durin gth efollowin g twodays ,som efort y homeeconomists , sociologists, anthropologists, nutritionists, agronomists, and economists presented papers and took part in discussions. The present volume includes all the papers presented during the Symposium. It also includes some background papers, an introductory chapter, summaries ofth e working groups' discussions and aconcludin gchapter . The individual contributions that make up this volume follow a slightly different sequence to that of the Symposium. This is better suited to the two focal points which are women and households. Current practice, principles and policies of rural development provided the central theme around which all contributions were arranged. We extend our special thanks to the authors who devoted considerable time to the preparation and review of their manuscripts. A Symposium like this would have been an impossible task without the active role of all the invited participants whose contri­ bution isreflecte d in the three discussion reports, published at the end of this volume. The latter not only give illuminating insights into how to grasp the intricate re­ lationship between the village, households, women and men, but also suggest alter­ natives for policy-makers. We also want to thank the co-members of the organizing committee for their cooperation and advice: Prof. Dr. R. A. J. van Lier and ir. B. E. J. C. Lekanne dit Deprez of the Department of non-Western Sociology of the Agricultural University Wageningen, ir. H. C. S. Backus of the Home Economics Department for their stim­ ulating intellectual contribution and Ms G. v. d. Westeringh of the Home Economics Department for her invaluable technical help. It is hoped that students in this field, especially in Home Economics, and policy makers will find this volume to be a source of inspiration and a challenge to pursue further this area of study. THE EDITORS INTRODUCTION C. PRESVELOU and S. I. SPIJKERS-ZWART Department of Home Economies,Agricultura l University Wageningen, The Netherlands The organization of a Symposium on the Household, Women and Agricultural Development follows a sequence of isolated but significant steps taken by our Depart­ ment in this direction in the last ten years or so. Among these we have singled out the mission to Kenya, undertaken in 1974 by the late Professor C. W. Visser, Head of the Department, in order to evaluate what was needed for the establishment of a Department of Home Economics at the Kenyatta University College, Nairobi. In September 1977 a seminar on 'Women and Rural Development' held in Amsterdam was partly stimulated by and organized with the cooperation of this Department. In somewritte n documents published either byth e Department or byth e Dutch Associa­ tion of Home Economists (Zuidberg, 1977:7) an explicit plea is made to extend its teaching and research to include the problems of developing countries. Outside theconfine s ofthi sDepartment , therei sa growin g awareness ofth enee d for a systematic and scholarly study of Western and non-Western households as subjects of investigation in their own right. Interestingly enough, the suggestion to take up this type of research comes from a number of disciplines. Home Economics has for several years earmarked as a priority the comparative studies of households and a revision of theconten t ofth e discipline,whe n applied to non-Western societies. Economics on the other hand, deliberately chooses the household, rather than the individual, as the privileged analytical category. The second invitation comes from 'political eco­ nomics' and 'political sociology' in sofa r asthes e branches represent a departure from the established body of knowledge ineconomic s and sociology in the sense of a critical appraisal of these two disciplines. Within this approach the productivity of women within the household or their participation inpai d labour was bound to invite renewed thinking concerning the position of the household as a tool of analytical research. To avoid misconceptions and ambiguities, it is important to define here what we understand by scientific study of the household, within the context of non-Western societies and what objectives were assigned to the Symposium. The relationships between the immediate physical environment, the set of regula­ tions, processes and policies of living in society, and the activities of household membersconsidere d associa l actors on onehand , the interdependence ofthes e various elements making up the human eco-system on the other, are the fields of scientific concern of Home Economics. Thehousehol d isth e socio-culturalenvironment , within whichtak eplac eeffort s and strategies to achieve individual and collective well-being and to enhance the quality of C. PRESVELOU AND S. I. SPIJKERS-ZWART life.I t isals oher etha t priorities aredetermine d andlif eproject s worked out. Important decisions about the allocation of available material and non-material resources to satisfy biological and cultural needs, are taken within the household. Some of these decisions affect the household directly; others, have a more diffuse influence. These deal with the allocation of labour, income distribution, benefits from educational, health and cultural facilities, the production of goods and services within and outside the household. Besides studying decision-making processes, types of social pressure and plans worked out within the household, one maydistinguis h processes taking place at higher levels (regional, national), which influence intra-household decisions. Changes from onetyp eo feconom y to another, for example,hav eimportan t consequences on labour- allocation policies and on the professional career of household members. Hence, by weighing the options against social pressures, the household meets society in the social policy arena. This view, that the household isinterrelate d with high-level social and economicprocesse sha slatel ybecom emor eprominent . It has become soespeciall y in Third World countries, for there social economic changes have been abrupt and deep.Developmen t isn o longer defined exclusively in economic terms, with per capita income and GNP as the main indicators. Current thinking on development stresses concepts such asth e distribution of goodsan d servicesan d participation ofth e various groups of the population at all levels of community decisions. This more balanced concept of development, especially as it concerns the rural sector, aims at improving the livingcondition s of rural populations, the establishment of socialjustice , the spreading of acceptable patterns in the distribution of goods and services, of education and self-actualization in order to free the individual from na­ ture'suncertaintie s and break themarginalit y ofth erura l masses.Thi svie wo fdevelop ­ ment implies a direct appeal to scholars and policymakers to take into consideration the mobilization and effective use of all human resources in the development process. When one speaks of human resources, this naturally implies that both sexes are included inth e process ofchange .Inadequat e involvement of either men
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