A Systematic Review on Women's Participation in Agricultural Work and Nutritional Outcomes

Abstract: While agriculture is recognised as vital for improving nutrition, the evidence linking women's participation to sustained nutritional gains remains inconclusive. This review synthesizes studies published between 2000 and 2024 to reflect current agricultural practices and nutritional challenges. We examine how agricultural practices and time use affect nutritional outcomes among rural women through pathways such as income generation food preparation and intra-household labour allocation. A structured methodology with clear inclusion and exclusion criteria was used to assess gender-sensitive and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Using narrative synthesis the review categorizes findings around key themes and contextual factors including socio-economic status seasonality and labour intensity. The results show that while increased involvement in agriculture can boost household dietary diversity and income it also raises time burdens that affect food preparation childcare and self-care. Positive outcomes occur when interventions enhance women's decision-making power income access and use of time-saving technologies whereas negative outcomes emerge when excessive workloads compromise energy balance and limit rest. A conceptual framework is presented to map the dual pathways linking agriculture time use and nutrition capturing the roles of labour distribution social norms and resource access. The framework underscores the need to integrate gender equity time efficiency and nutritional objectives into agricultural policies. In conclusion agricultural interventions have potential for nutritional improvement if they are carefully designed to avoid unintended negative impacts on women.