Women smallholder farmers in South America, Central America and the Caribbean

Publication date: 06-10-2025
Extent: 14 pages

Contributions by: Janet Momsen, University of California-Davis, USA

Chapter synopsis:

Women smallholder farmers in this region have generally had to seek land in the interstices of large male-owned land holdings. Such smallholdings have been ignored in official statistics and the gender of their ownership rarely considered. European colonialism has strongly influenced farming and Covid 19 and climate change have worsened rural poverty. Recent positive changes for women smallholder farmers have largely come about through new ideas on sustainable development and gender introduced by international agencies. The chapter considers the background and current status of women smallholder farmers in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Special emphasis is given to Barbados which has long had a high proportion of women smallholder farmers. Much of the information provided is based on field research.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2024.0148.07