How does sustainable agricultural intensification’s (SAI) tenet of increased productivity on the same area of land relate to prevailing gender-biased land tenure systems? How can one conceptualize the interactions between intensified land use and control over land, labour, crops and benefits – and how can equitable outcomes be facilitated? These questions (which have not yet received sufficient attention in SAI research) are explored in this study using a qualitative methodology and a gender-transformative approach. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a total of 248 respondents were conducted in matrilineal and patrilineal intensification contexts in Ghana and Malawi. We develop a conceptual framework that extends Kabeer’s institutional analysis to include gender implications of SAI. Selected cases reveal how farmers and key actors link land use intensification to existing land-related institutions with diverse outcomes. We conclude that SAI interventions should adopt gender-transformative approaches. These facilitate equitable outcomes by supporting consensus-based institutional changes and creating positive synergies between multiple scales.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1791425

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Gundula Fischerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7658-786X

https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1791425

Plant Production and Health

Agronomy; Gender; Land Use; Plant Production

Gender; Land; Sustainability; Agriculture; Intensification; Ghana; Malawi

Africa; East Africa; West Africa

Ghana; Malawi

Eastern Africa Hub

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability