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Department of Agril. Extension Education, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati-517 502.
The present study was conducted in Palakkad district of Kerala to study the profile of men and women involved in banana value chain. A total of 112 respondents (80 farmers, 8 processors, 24 marketers) were randomly selected with a consideration to gender. Exploratory research design was followed for the study. In production, participation was relatively balanced, with men (53.75%) and women (46.25%). Most growers, regardless of gender, were middle-aged and had high school education. The growers also had medium levels of income, leadership, economic motivation, social participation, media exposure, extension contact, and decision-making ability. The processing sector showed equal male and female representation. Male processors were predominantly middle-aged with graduate-level education, while females were evenly distributed between young and middle age groups with higher secondary education. Although both genders had similar levels of income and media exposure, women demonstrated lower leadership ability, extension contact, and decision-making, but higher social participation. The marketing sector was male-dominated (83.33 per cent men and 16.66 per cent women). Both men and women marketers were mostly middle-aged and educated up to higher secondary level, with medium levels of socio-economic traits; however, women had lower extension contact and decision-making ability.
KEYWORDS: Banana Value Chain, Gender, Profile characteristics.