Gender sensitive labour saving technology

Asian agriculture is rapidly changing, with a shift from traditional labour intensive operations to labour saving technologies and mechanization at farm level and for post-harvest and processing operations. These changes are underpinned by a number of factors, including rising labour scarcity in rural communities in the region, increasing labour costs, the increasing feminization of agriculture and the development of modern agri-food chains in response to market demands (FAO, 2014). In Sayabouly province in Lao PDR, a labour saving technology called drum seeder has been field tested in support of the Sustainable Intensification of Rice Production (SIRP) by the Laotian Government, smallholder farmers and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A drum seeder is a manual technology used for drum seeding pre-germinated rice seeds, it is suited to both men and women farmers. This study compares the three planting methods (i.e. drum seeding, manual translating and broadcasting) using data from an initiative in Lao PDR. The results show that drum seeding in the rice production systems appears to be an attractive option compared to the traditional planting methods, namely manual transplanting and broadcasting. Its use saves time and money (labour and seed), reduces workload and drudgery and increases the labour productivity. The use of a drum seeder also contributes towards building resilience against climate change by smallholder farmers as they can cope better with erratic weather, and re-plant their field faster in case of losing their rice crops due to natural disaster. The inclusion of more women in the field demonstrations and training on the use of drum seeder (and other labour saving technology) will help to increase its adoption in rural communities and close the gender gap.