ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores whether men and women are likely to adopt the same technology, or if a diversity of technologies might better serve the interests of both men and women. It focuses on how efforts to study and provide outreach with the goal of women’s empowerment must more carefully understand the complex intersections of multiple factors in women’s lives. The book examines efforts to promote gender equity in the commercial dairy sector in Kenya. It shows how local norms of masculinity related to cattle production complicate the language and tropes of gender equity in the Kenyan intensive dairy sector. The book outlines research from Asia, Africa and Latin America on shifting gender relationships in agriculture. Edward Bikketi et al. found significant gender gaps in productivity between matrilineal and patrilineal households as well as a growing feminization of agriculture in Malawi.
