Roots of power: Women's decision making in farming across patrilineal and matrilineal systems in eastern Indonesia

This study examined women's involvement in vegetable farming decisions in two kinship systems: patrilineal (Southwest Sumba) and matrilineal (Malaka) in NTT province, Eastern Indonesia, involving 200 purposively selected female farmers (February–May 2023). The analytical design combined comparative descriptive analysis with MANOVA for multidimensional differences (resource access–control, information/institutions) and Mixed-Effects Logistic Regression to examine the determinants of involvement in decisions and the moderating effect of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) knowledge. MANOVA showed simultaneous differences (Wilks' λ = 0.382; F (24,175) = 11.79; p < 0.001). In the MELR, the matrilineal system increased the odds of women's participation (OR≈2.51; p = 0.027); GAP knowledge increased the odds (OR≈1.92; p = 0.013) and interacted positively with kinship (OR≈1.62; p = 0.041). The main findings confirm that education, group involvement, and access to information strengthen women's roles, while GAP knowledge serves as a reinforcing factor, especially in the matrilineal context. Recommended policy implications include culturally sensitive GAP training tailored to patrilineal and matrilineal communities and strengthening women's access to extension services and institutions to improve the quality of vegetable-farming decisions in dryland ecosystems.