Gender dynamics and land use change amongst smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

撒哈拉以南非洲快速的土地利用变化正在威胁当地和全球生态系统服务的提供。2000年至2010年间，近10%的森林面积丧失，该区域的森林砍伐率是全球最高的，主要是受小农农业做法的推动(Franks等人，2017年；Hosonuma等人，2012年)。随着Landsat等高分辨率卫星数据的提供(例如Curtis等人，2018年；Mayaux等人)，最近出现了利用遥感技术确定全球和非洲土地利用变化趋势的研究。，2013；鲁德尔，2013)。研究还将撒哈拉以南非洲的土地利用变化模式与高水平的社会经济数据联系起来，以确定砍伐森林的主要驱动因素，如商品作物扩大(Ordway等人，2017年)以及城市人口增长和农业贸易(DeFries等人，2010年)。然而，对于社会经济条件如何影响当地细微差别的小农-地貌相互作用，人们仍然缺乏了解。我建议解决这一知识差距，重点放在性别动态上。妇女占劳动力的近一半，在撒哈拉以南非洲的农村环境中发挥着关键作用，由于人口结构的变化，如男性从农村向城市的迁移，农业正在进一步女性化(粮农组织，2011年)。尽管如此，女性小农仍然面临影响她们与土地互动的性别法律和事实劣势，包括土地保有权不安全(特别是在实行多元制度的国家)；被排除在决策之外；获得信贷、投入和推广服务的机会较少(DOSS，2001；Njie，2013；UNDESA，2011)。在农业过程的不同阶段，按性别划分的作物品种偏好和责任进一步塑造了男性和女性农民选择使用土地的方式。男性和女性对当地生态系统服务的依赖也可能不同，例如，男性采伐木材，而女性采集各种非木材森林产品，如食品、药品和薪材(Sunderland等人，2014年)。利用卫星数据分析这些复杂的社会经济状况将有助于更好地了解该区域人与环境的相互作用。我的目标是调查小农中的性别动态如何影响撒哈拉以南非洲的土地利用模式。我将讨论以下问题：撒哈拉以南非洲小农农地景观中土地利用变化的模式和动态是什么？妇女如何参与土地利用变化进程的不同方面？性别作物生产和对生态系统服务的性别偏好如何影响土地利用变化？土地利用变化如何给当地农民的生活和生计带来性别利益和不利利益？这项工作旨在为决策和发展干预措施提供信息，这些干预措施由于缺乏对性别动态的充分考虑，在保护生态系统和支持小农的努力中可能会受到误导。

Rapid land use change in sub-Saharan Africa is threatening the provision of local and global ecosystem services. Nearly 10% of forest area was lost between 2000 and 2010 and deforestation rates in the region are the highest globally, predominantly driven by smallholder agricultural practices (Franks et al ., 2017; Hosonuma et al ., 2012). There has been a recent emergence of studies using remote sensing techniques to identify land use change trends globally and in Africa, following the availability of high-resolution satellite data such as Landsat (e.g. Curtis et al ., 2018; Mayaux et al. , 2013; Rudel, 2013). Research has also linked land use change patterns in sub-Saharan Africa with high-level socio-economic data to identify key drivers of deforestation, such as commodity crop expansion (Ordway et al ., 2017) and urban population growth and agricultural trade (DeFries et al., 2010). However, there remains a lack of understanding about how socio-economic conditions affect nuanced smallholder-landscape interactions on the ground. I propose to address this knowledge gap, with a focus on gender dynamics. Comprising nearly half the workforce, women play a key role in rural sub-Saharan Africa landscapes, and agriculture is becoming further feminised due to demographic shifts such as male rural-to-urban migration (FAO, 2011). Despite this, female smallholders face persistent gendered legal and de facto disadvantages that affect their interactions with land, including insecure land tenure (particularly in countries with pluralist systems); exclusion from decision-making; and lower access to credit, inputs and extension services (Doss, 2001; Njie, 2013; UNDESA, 2011). Gendered crop species preference and responsibilities over different stages of agricultural processes further shape how male and female farmers choose to use land. Men and women may also depend differently on local ecosystem services, with men for example harvesting timber whilst women gather a variety of non-timber forest products such as food, medicine and fuelwood (Sunderland et al ., 2014). Analysing these complex socio-economic conditions with satellite data will shed new light on human-environment interactions in the region. I aim to investigate how gendered dynamics amongst smallholder farmers affect land use patterns in sub-Saharan Africa. I will address questions such as: What are the patterns and dynamics of land use change in smallholder farminglandscapes in sub-Saharan Africa? How do women engage with different aspects of land use change processes? How do gendered crop production and gendered preferences for ecosystem services shape land use change? How does land use change bring gendered benefits and disbenefits to local farmers' lives and livelihoods? This work aims to inform policy-making and development interventions that, due to lack ofadequate consideration for gender dynamics, may be misguided in their efforts to protect ecosystems and support smallholder farmers.