Gendered pathways to good agricultural practices compliance: Evidence from smallholder farming households

Abstract

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) are promoted in the Philippines to strengthen food safety, improve product quality, and enhance farmers’ access to competitive markets, yet adoption remains limited among smallholders. This study examines the determinants of GAP compliance across 224 vegetable-producing households in Leyte, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon, with particular attention to gender roles and intra-household dynamics using the Harvard Analytical Framework. Compliance was measured through a 54-item score based on Philippine National Standard (PNS/BAFS 49:2021), and ordinary least squares regression was applied. Results show that socio-demographic, institutional, and market factors—particularly farmer age, training exposure, income diversification, crop diversity, and reliance on traditional markets—are the primary drivers of compliance. While gender is not the main driver, it still influences adoption through intra-household pathways, particularly in labor allocation and resource governance. Men's productive labor is associated with the implementation of labor-intensive practices, while women's role is more evident in resource governance. A significant interaction between women's access to and control over resources indicates that empowerment influences compliance only when both dimensions are present. Policy efforts to improve GAP adoption should prioritize integrated, gender-responsive approaches that align training, market incentives, and financial support with household-level constraints. Future research should further examine intra-household dynamics using longitudinal or mixed methods to better capture causal pathways and variations across farming contexts.