Gender matters in seed system assessments: evidence from smallholder farms in Morocco, Senegal, and Madagascar
Abstract
Despite growing recognition of the importance of involving smallholder farmers in seed systems governance, gender remains a critical but overlooked dimension. Women’s seed practices are often misunderstood, underdocumented, and excluded from policy and research, leading to governance frameworks that fail to address their needs or even exacerbate inequalities. This calls for collecting gender-disaggregated data and developing more inclusive methodologies in seed system assessments. However, the challenges that this raises and the benefits of doing so are as yet unknown. Drawing on surveys from 1,054 smallholder farms in Morocco, Senegal, and Madagascar, this research first identifies the methodological challenges in capturing women’s seed knowledge and practices. It then evaluates gender bias in seed data by comparing responses from male and female household members regarding seeds and their sourcing practices. The findings reveal significant barriers to including women in seed surveys, notably the gendered organization of care work and the limited recognition of women as legitimate holders of agricultural knowledge. These barriers generate systematic biases that under-represent women’s roles in seed systems. The results further reveal significant differences in the crops and seed sources reported by men and women, demonstrating that interviewing only male household heads - a common practice in seed system research- produces substantial biases. Interpreting the findings through the lenses of epistemic justice and social reproduction theory, the study argues that research practices can both reproduce and challenge the systemic devaluation of women’s seed knowledge. It proposes a set of principles to move beyond the productive–reproductive dichotomy and support the collection of gender-disaggregated data for more inclusive seed system research and governance.
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BibTeX
@article{labeyrie2026gender,
title = {{Gender matters in seed system assessments: evidence from smallholder farms in Morocco, Senegal, and Madagascar}},
author = {Vanesse Labeyrie and Florence Lebeaupin and Juliette Mariel and Katina Floride Olodo and Irene Teixidor-Toneu and Justine Stutz and Océane Cobelli and Ewen Menguy and Samba Sy and Santatra Malala Elodie Raharinajaina and Hasina Fabrice Rajoharison and Nomenjanahary Clairence Ninah Ravoniarimalala and Anna Porcuna-Ferrer},
journal = {Agriculture and Human Values},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s10460-026-10977-4},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05853238v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gender matters in seed system assessments: evidence from smallholder farms in Morocco, Senegal, and Madagascar
AU - Vanesse Labeyrie
AU - Florence Lebeaupin
AU - Juliette Mariel
AU - Katina Floride Olodo
AU - Irene Teixidor-Toneu
AU - Justine Stutz
AU - Océane Cobelli
AU - Ewen Menguy
AU - Samba Sy
AU - Santatra Malala Elodie Raharinajaina
AU - Hasina Fabrice Rajoharison
AU - Nomenjanahary Clairence Ninah Ravoniarimalala
AU - Anna Porcuna-Ferrer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Agriculture and Human Values
DO - 10.1007/s10460-026-10977-4
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05853238v1
AB - Despite growing recognition of the importance of involving smallholder farmers in seed systems governance, gender remains a critical but overlooked dimension. Women’s seed practices are often misunderstood, underdocumented, and excluded from policy and research, leading to governance frameworks that fail to address their needs or even exacerbate inequalities. This calls for collecting gender-disaggregated data and developing more inclusive methodologies in seed system assessments. However, the challenges that this raises and the benefits of doing so are as yet unknown. Drawing on surveys from 1,054 smallholder farms in Morocco, Senegal, and Madagascar, this research first identifies the methodological challenges in capturing women’s seed knowledge and practices. It then evaluates gender bias in seed data by comparing responses from male and female household members regarding seeds and their sourcing practices. The findings reveal significant barriers to including women in seed surveys, notably the gendered organization of care work and the limited recognition of women as legitimate holders of agricultural knowledge. These barriers generate systematic biases that under-represent women’s roles in seed systems. The results further reveal significant differences in the crops and seed sources reported by men and women, demonstrating that interviewing only male household heads - a common practice in seed system research- produces substantial biases. Interpreting the findings through the lenses of epistemic justice and social reproduction theory, the study argues that research practices can both reproduce and challenge the systemic devaluation of women’s seed knowledge. It proposes a set of principles to move beyond the productive–reproductive dichotomy and support the collection of gender-disaggregated data for more inclusive seed system research and governance.
SN - 0889-048X
SN - 1572-8366
ER -