Gender, agricultural development and food security in Amhara, Ethiopia : the contested identity of women farmers in Ethiopia

This has led to a series of structural barriers, augmented by local cultural perceptions, that have largely precluded women"s participation in agricultural extension and critically impeded their access to land, technology, and decisionmaking power. The present study addresses these themes and provides related recommendations within the context of the interventions proposed for agricultural and economic development in the Amhara Region. The overall conclusion is that, unless existing structural and cultural barriers to women"s participation in agricultural development are actively addressed, women will continue to be marginalized within the agricultural production process, hampering efforts to obtain household food security at a regional and national level. (Author abstract, modified)