Gender division of labor in agroforestry activities within households: a case of Wonogiri - Central Java - Indonesia

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief description on the gender division of labor in agroforestry activities within households. The introduction describes the underlying background of gender roles in agroforestry activities. In general it was found that there is an imbalance of gender partnership in labor division applied at cultivation, processing and marketing of cashew nuts between men and women. The unequal gender role has also existed at the accessibility and control levels towards collector traders and wholesale buyers; however, an equal gender role has been found at the accessibility and control towards farming activities, and the role of women is even more dominant in processing than that of men. It was also found that the unequal gender partnership at the community level is due to the socio-cultural constraints. Finally, research and policy recommendations describe the focus of research related to gender in agroforestry, the capacity building for regional and national government, and also community and gender empowerment. The community and gender empowerment includes the agreement among communities (both men and women) in the village to reformulate its regional planning, the increase of women’s potential skills and knowledge, and the strengthening of farmer group/institutions.