Investigating the roles and challenges of female extension workers: a systematic review

Context and purpose As the demographics of farming communities change and innovations evolve, the role of female extension workers becomes more critical, especially in reaching out to women farmers who are often primary agricultural laborers in rural households and supporting them to adopt new practices and technologies. This study investigates how the roles and challenges of female extension workers are represented in the literature and what assumptions and implications underpin these representations.Methodology We use a systematic review approach in examining 32 studies retrieved from scientific databases and grey literature.Findings Female extension workers play baseline and transformative roles in agricultural extension and innovation. However, they also experience numerous challenges, including gender imbalance and representation, institutional and structural barriers, cultural norms and social biases, workload, skills and career advancement, and barriers to supporting women farmers.Theoretical implications The representation of female extension workers in the academic literature reflects broader assumptions about gender in agriculture. By interrogating the ways in which their roles and challenges are framed in the literature, this study sheds light on the structural and cultural inequities that are perpetuated through these representations.Practical implications Understanding these framings is essential not only for addressing inequities in research and practice, but also for rethinking how gender in extension work is conceptualized and governed.Originality/value The roles and challenges of female extension workers are under-researched and have not been systematically reviewed.