ABSTRACT
A central tenet of farming systems research (FSR) is that households have multiple objectives and that these objectives are most often specific to individuals according to their structural position within the household. The implicit assumption of FSR, namely that conflicts among household members' preferences are resolved through the existence of "social norms," obscures the contractual basis of the household. The adoption of irrigated rice production in Cameroon, which required a major reallocation of household labor, resulted in a significant increase in household income. Most married women have their own granary in which they store the sorghum harvested from their individual fields. The organization of rice production differs significantly from sorghum production. In addition, men also give their wives a lump sum in cash following the sale of paddy. Women perceive this money and paddy to be compensation for their rice cultivation labor.
