Gender roles in agroforestry value chains: evidence from fruit tree-based agroforestry in Dodota district, Ethiopia

Despite the economic significance of fruit tree-based agroforestry in Ethiopia, gender considerations throughout the value chain activities are still underexplored. This study evaluated gender roles within the fruit tree-based agroforestry value chain in the Dodota district of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. We used a random sampling technique to collect primary data from 178 respondents. The FAO gender-sensitive value chain analysis framework and the Binary Logit model examined women’s involvement in the fruit value chain. The results indicated that women actively participated in various stages of the fruit value chain in the study area, functioning as producers, retailers, and processors. Our finding highlighted those women in the study area played an essential role in agriculture activities such as land preparation (81.2%), seedling preparation (79.7%), planting (93.8%), manuring (78.1%), watering (84.4%), pest management (46.9%), weeding (96.9%), and hoeing (95.4%) and harvesting (98.5%). However, women’s engagement in the fruit value chain is subject to different socioeconomic factors, such as access to improved varieties, age, education level, family size, motor pump ownership, and landholding size. These findings emphasize the need for gender-inclusive policies that improve women’s access to productive resources and decision-making power within fruit tree-based agroforestry value chains. The study highlights critical insights and pathways for promoting and advancing gender equity in agroforestry systems and guiding policy interventions.