Who Counts as a Farmer? The Invisible Harvest of Women’s Labor in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta

Women are central to smallholder agriculture in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta, yet their work is often missing from formal records and policy. This article asks who counts as a “farmer” and examines how gendered labor, mechanization, household authority, and institutional practices shape women’s visibility and access to resources. Drawing on mixed-gender focus group discussions with farmers, traders, leaders, and NGO staff, the study explores women’s farm work, land documentation, credit and training access, and household decision-making. Findings show women contribute across farm and household systems, yet their work is usually described as family support rather than farming. Mechanization has reduced demand for tasks women perform and pushed younger women toward non-farm work, while land and loan records remain under male heads. Using feminist and household bargaining perspectives, the study shows women’s labor is visible yet invisible in formal recognition, and argues that inclusive documentation and community norm change are needed.