Effect of Landownership by Women on Household Food Security in Benin
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Date
2025
Authors
TOSSOU, Judith Urielle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AERC
Abstract
Given the extent of food insecurity among rural women and gender inequalities linked to land rights, this research examines the effect of women's land ownership on household food security in Benin. The data comes from the Global Analysis of Vulnerability and Food Security survey (AGVSA, 2017). The propensity score matching (PSM) method and endogenous switching regression are applied to a sample of approximately 6502 households, of which 21% (1366) of agricultural households included female landowners. The results estimated using the (ESR) method and the (PSM) method reveal a positive and significant effect of women's land ownership on household food security. Following the ESR and PSM method; the results reveal that the factors that significantly influence women's land ownership are age, household size, agricultural empowerment index, access to credit, and levels of "primary" and "at least" education. less secondary” and the household’s housing status. Following the ESR method, the effect of transient heterogeneity is positive; which implies that the effect of land ownership on the food security index is significantly higher for women who have land than for those who do not. The potential effect of heterogeneity in the sample reveals that women who have land property would have a higher positive food security index than women who do not have it. The results indicate the very important role of land ownership by women in resolving food insecurity in rural Benin. Given our results and to improve the level of household food security in Africa and more precisely in Benin, political decision-makers will have to favor and encourage many women to acquire not only land but also large areas of land through applicable policies and reforms. Then, political decision-makers must also put in place communication systems to encourage more women's access to agricultural inputs and the practice of irrigation. Finally, decision-makers must increase access to credit for women.