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In this webinar, Dr Alexandra Peralta presented a new study analysing social learning effects among men and women in cocoa-growing households in Vanuatu.

Dr Peralta finds that information network links are determined by proximity for both men and women. Separated gender analysis highlights wide gender gaps in access to information from peers and other information channels. The results robustly show learning effects among men but not among women, and that despite women and men participating almost equally in cocoa production and postharvest activities, women participated in fewer extension visits and less training activities. Women have fewer contacts within their information networks and scored lower than men in the knowledge test. Ignoring gender dynamics in the acquisition of information for the design and implementation of extension interventions can result in widening these gaps.

These results have implications for the design and implementation of gender-inclusive extension strategies.

Speaker:

Dr Alexandra Peralta is a Lecturer in Agricultural and Food Economics with The Centre for Global Food and Resources (CGFAR) at the University of Adelaide. She is a development economist with experience on impact evaluation, field experiments and farmer decision-making models. Her recent research focuses on the evaluation of the impact of development interventions in Indonesia and the Pacific.

Read Dr Peralta’s draft paper here. Please note that this is a draft only not for citing or further sharing.

This webinar was free and open to the public. It was recorded, and the recording will be made available soon through the Development Policy Centre website.