Maize, Migration and Gender Dynamics in Nepal

The gender dimension of the maize-based farming system is extremely important. The phenomenon of male out-migration has greatly impacted the dynamics of agricultural labor, leading to more complex gender roles and relationships within households. It is worth noting that almost 90% of migrants are men, which means that women, the elderly, and children are left to handle agricultural and household responsibilities. The feminization of agriculture has been a subject of research for quite some time, but there is a significant lack of research studies focusing on the critical issues surrounding maize cultivation in the current scholarship of agricultural R4D in South Asia. This research aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the gendered relationship between maize producers and labor out-migration in Nepal's three agro-ecological regions, namely the mountain, hill, and terai areas.