Impact of Mechanization in Agriculture on Female Labor Force

Machine-harvestable chickpea (MHCP) varieties are an innovative agricultural technology that increases farmer profits by reducing harvesting costs and post-harvest yield losses. We have received funding (from SPIA-CGIAR) to design a pilot RCT (in collaboration with ICRISAT) examining the adoption of this technology in rural Andhra Pradesh. An important concern with this technology is its effect on local labor markets, particularly for women who perform the vast majority of harvest labor for chickpeas in the study area. We are seeking funding from GEA to experimentally study the impact of this technology on female labor supply and female economic agency (the SPIA funding focuses on the technology aspect). If the pilot suggests adverse consequences for these outcomes, we hope to develop possible strategies to attenuate such effects.