O-63 Differences in income, farm size and nutritional status between female and male farmers in a region of Haiti
Author(s):
P Duvivier, R P Tescar, N Unwin, M Murphy, C HOWITT, E Augustus
Type Of Study:
- Analytical Study
- Quantitative
Year of Presentation:
2023
Objective: To explore differences in income and nutritional
status between female and male farmers in nine rural communities in Haiti.
Methods: A sample of 108 farmers was selected, 28 women and 80 men. Our questionnaire included sections on demographics such as age, sex, farm size, and income; physical and medical details including height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI), and define overweight and obesity; as well as blood pressure to define hypertension. Farm size (FS) was divided into: small (0.16 ha=FS<1.13 ha), medium (1.13 ha=FS<2.42 ha) and large (2.42 ha =FS=12.09 ha). Analyses were undertaken in Stata and R.
Results: The mean age of farmers was 46.1 (95% CIs 43.5 to 48.3) years. Female farmers were 6.3 (1.3 to 11.3) years younger than male. Exploiting 1,2 ha on average, women had smaller farms than men (1.2 ha). More than half (57%) of women had a small farm compared to 24% of men (p=0.005). Annual farm revenue, representing more than 70% of all household revenue, was substantially lower in women than men (1399 USD vs 3110 USD, 95% CIs on difference 1294 to 2127). Compared to men, women were more likely to be obese (11% vs 1%, p=0.022) and hypertensive (89% vs 70.0%, p=0.043).
Conclusion: In the study region, women farmed smaller areas and had lower income than men. They had poorer nutritional status, with higher levels of obesity and hypertension. Hence, interventions to improve livelihoods and nutrition must be gender sensitive.