Labour Reallocation and Gendered Time-Use in the Office du Niger: A Scoping Review of Mechanised Rice Harvester Impacts

{ "background": "The Office du Niger is a pivotal irrigated rice production zone in Mali. The recent introduction of mechanised rice harvesters is hypothesised to significantly alter labour dynamics and gendered divisions of agricultural work, yet a systematic mapping of the evidence is lacking.", "purpose and objectives": "This scoping review aims to systematically map and synthesise existing evidence on how mechanised rice harvesting reallocates labour and affects gendered time-use patterns within smallholder households in the region.", "methodology": "The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. A systematic search of academic and grey literature databases was conducted. Studies were screened and charted using a predefined data extraction tool focused on labour inputs, time-use, and gender-disaggregated outcomes. The relationship between mechanisation and labour time was modelled using a linear mixed-effects framework: $Y{ij} = \\beta0 + \\beta1 X{ij} + uj + \\epsilon{ij}$, where $Y{ij}$ is the labour time for task $i$ in household $j$, $X{ij}$ is a mechanisation indicator, and $u_j$ are household random effects.", "findings": "The review identified a significant gap in quantitative time-use diary studies. The available evidence, while limited, consistently indicates that mechanisation displaces manual harvest labour, predominantly undertaken by men. A prominent theme is the subsequent intensification of women's work in post-harvest activities, though the magnitude of this shift remains poorly quantified. Inference from the synthesised data suggests a likely increase in women's daily work hours, though estimates lack precision due to high study heterogeneity.", "conclusion": "Mechanisation initiates a complex reorganisation of farm household labour, with gendered consequences that are not fully captured by existing research. The evidence base is fragmented and insufficient for robust conclusions on the net time-use impacts.", "recommendations": "Future research must prioritise longitudinal, gender-disaggregated time-use diary studies to quantify labour re