Agricultural technology, risk, and gender: A CGE analysis of Mozambique

Interactions between agricultural technology improvements, risk-reducing be havior, and gender roles in agricultural production in Mozambique are exami ned. The analysis employs a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model that explicitly incorporates key features of the economy. These include: detail ed accounting of marketing margins, home consumption, risk, and gender role s in agricultural production. Our results show that agricultural technology improvements benefit both male and female occupants of rural households. D ue to economic interactions, agricultural technology improvements are parti cularly compelling when combined with marketing system improvements. Moreov er, technological change in cassava appears to be a particularly strong lev er for increasing female and overall household welfare, especially when ris k is considered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.