Three Essays on Agricultural Household Labor in Developing Countries
[Thesis]
Kang, Munsu
Schwab, Benjamin
Kansas State University
2020
157
Ph.D.
Kansas State University
2020
Agricultural labor supply in developing countries is an important factor in agricultural productivity and livelihood. Labor productivity, however, is still inefficient due to both internal and external factors. In particular, land markets, credit markets, and social networks are crucial for improving household labor allocation efficiency and, accordingly, agricultural productivity. This dissertation examines the role of gendered land ownership and microcredit on intra- and inter-household labor allocation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent research has increased interest in the intersection of land tenure and gender roles in African agriculture. While formalization of land ownership has been found to have significant impacts in terms of gender, time-use and management remain critical to both the productivity of agricultural operations and the welfare of household members. Thus, it is important to understand how gender intersects with the relationships between the ownership and operation of plots. To address these relationships, in Chapter 1, we used plot-level data from nationally representative household surveys in Ethiopia and Malawi to characterize the ownership structure (e.g., sole male, sole female, or joint) and domain (e.g., plot ownership, plot management, or output management) of control over land in each household. We then answered the following research questions: 1)