Gender, entrepreneurship and food security in Niger

• Author: Abdelkrim Araar,Sènakpon Fidèle Ange Dedehouanou
• Published date: 01 August 2020
• Date: 01 August 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12657

Rev Dev Econ. 2020;24:815–830. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rode

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© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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INTRODUCTION

In many African countries, the role of the informal sector and entrepreneurship is particularly relevant

for poverty reduction (Benjamin & Mbaye, 2012; Bennett, 2010; McCaig & Pavcnik, 2015; Mhando

& Kiggundu, 2018). A large number of African households engage in entrepreneurship by creating

and managing small businesses (Fox & Sohnesen, 2012). Most of the non-farm businesses are very

small and reflect, in part, the desire of the households to diversify sources of revenues, particularly in

the rural area and for women (Van den Broeck & Kilic, 2019). This is the case in Niger where small

business enterprises are evolving and continuing to be the most accessible source of income to the

households (Dedehouanou, Araar, Ousseini, Harouna, & Jabir, 2018).

Received: 12 October 2018

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Revised: 28 January 2020

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Accepted: 30 January 2020

DOI: 10.1111/rode.12657

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: PROMOTING YOUTH AND FEMALE

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Gender, entrepreneurship and food security in Niger

Sènakpon Fidèle AngeDedehouanou1

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AbdelkrimAraar2

1Department of Economics, University of

Abomey Calavi (UAC), Abomey-Calavi,

Benin

2Department of Economics, PEP &

CIRPÉE, Laval University, Quebec, QC,

Canada

Correspondence

Senakpon Fidele Ange Dedehouanou,

Department of Economics, University of

Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Kandevie Owode

c/499, Porto-Novo, Benin.

Email: dsenakpon@gmail.com; ange.

dedehouanou@uac.bj

Funding information

The Department for International

Development (DFID) of the United

Kingdom (or UK Aid); The Government

of Canada through the International

Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Abstract

In many African countries, the income generated from the

informal sector and the entrepreneurship is particularly

important for reducing poverty. Previous studies have not

found clear evidence on the relationship between self-em-

ployment by gender and food security. We argue that this

may be a result of the gender inequality in resource accessi-

bility. In this paper, we analyze the implication of household

entrepreneurship on food security in Niger, where gender

disparities in resource accessibility are reduced. We find

that owning female-managed non-agricultural enterprises is

positively related to food accessibility and food availability

within female-headed households. The results draw the at-

tention on reducing gender differences in resource accessi-

bility in entrepreneurship for improving food security.

KEYWORDS

entrepreneurship, food security, gender, Niger

JEL CLASSIFICATION

J16; L26; Q18

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DEDEHOUANOU AND ARAAR

In many developing countries, such as Niger, micro-entrepreneurial activities in the informal sec-

tor evolve in a context of resource constraints. For example, studies provide evidence that capital con-

straints such as access to finance prevent entrepreneurship, particularly for women (Nagler & Naudé,

2017; Otoo, Ibro, Fulton, & Lowenberg-DeBoer, 2012). The ability of women to run enterprises, as

well as to enhance their performance and other related outcomes, is restricted when there exist gender

differences in constraints and in opportunities. There is evidence that gender disparities disadvantage

women in both creating and operating enterprises (Klapper & Parker, 2011; Link & Strong, 2016;

World Bank, 2001, 2012). It has been advocated that the expansion of women’s control over resource

contributes to their empowerment and thus improves the welfare and food security of their families

(Quisumbing & Meinzen-Dick, 2001; Sraboni, Malapit, Quisumbing, & Ahmed, 2014; Verschoor,

Kebede, Munro, & Tarazona, 2019).

In this paper, we analyze the implication of female entrepreneurship at the household level, in the

context of both more and less gender disparities in resource accessibility. We ask whether households

owning female-managed non-agricultural enterprises are food secure in Niger, using households own-

ing male-managed non-agricultural enterprises as counterfactual cases. Our first motivation is con-

text-specific: Non-agricultural enterprises in Niger are very small, which, in many cases, have a single

investor—the head or his or her spouse—who is the manager and involves family members. Whether

managed by a member of a male or a female household, these enterprises present the same characteris-

tics as they evolve mostly informally. As far as the underrepresentation of women in entrepreneurship,

which may reflect constraints or barriers, is concerned, we argue that gender disparities in resource

accessibility are less accentuated in households owning female-managed enterprises and further less

in female-headed households owning these enterprises.

Second, most of the studies on enterprises and gender look at a firm’s performance in produc-

tivity and profitability (Nagler & Naudé, 2017; Otoo et al., 2012; Rijkers & Costa, 2012). However,

most household non-farm small businesses in Africa are generally informal and survivalist or neces-

sity-driven enterprises (Williams & Youssef, 2014). In spite, some studies point out that household

enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa matter for growth and livelihoods (Fox & Sohnesen, 2012; Shehua

& Sidique, 2014). As many households in Niger are involved in non-agricultural enterprises as their

livelihood strategy to cope with economic shocks, we analyze the implication of gender entrepreneurs

in terms of household food security instead of enterprise level–related outcomes.

Third, from a policy perspective, the economy of sub-Saharan Africa is primarily based on cli-

mate-dependent sectors such as agriculture (Misra, 2014). Yet, studies often limit food security issues

to agricultural decisions, ignoring the social implication that may arise directly from the transfor-

mation of the non-farm sector (Haggblade, Hazell, & Reardon, 2010). It has been reported that cli-

mate change will negatively impact on climate-dependent sectors (Thompson, Berrang-Ford, & Ford,

2010). This poses a major threat to food security, particularly, in landlocked and Sahelian areas such

as Niger, where food self-sufficiency is always a concern.

A survey, conducted in November 2011 by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), on the vulner-

ability of households to food insecurity indicated that 34.9% of the households were food insecure.

Moreover, 23.1% of the households were classified as "at risk" who could fall into a situation of food

insecurity before the next harvest (INS-NIGER, 2013). In rural areas, 15.7% and 14.5% of the house-

holds were food-insecure with 33.3% and 32.4% classified as "at risk" in 2015 and 2017, respectively

(INS-NIGER, 2015, 2017). In this paper, we provide empirical evidence on the effects of owning

female-managed non-agricultural enterprises on household food security, to inform policy such as the

initiative 3N—“Nigeriens Nourishing Nigeriens,” implemented by the government of Niger, which

seeks to create rules conducive to dealing with all risks related to food and nutrition security in the

country (IMF Country Report, 2013).