Uganda’s National Agriculture and Advisory Services (NAADS) has made great contributions to the transformation of the country’s agricultural sector, yet after 21 years in existence, the organization continues to face difficulties in reaching women farmers.
A recent study in Uganda found gendered agricultural productivity gaps of 16% to 60% in favor of men (the wide range due to varying definitions of women’s control over plots). Many factors contribute to this gender gap, including women’s limited access to information, productive resources, and services. It has been particularly difficult to overcome the gendered information gap in smallholder farming communities: Traditional extension services are mostly provided by men—only 11% of Uganda’s extension agents are women—and directed at men, and women have limited access to mobile internet for digital extension (a gender gap of 48%).
