How two agricultural development projects boosted women’s empowerment

When we talk about women’s empowerment, it is difficult to grasp what we actually mean. Does it refer to women’s attitudes towards gender violence? Or does it mean women’s economic independence and decision-making power? Does it perhaps imply access to productive resources, education, and other opportunities? Or might it mean control over time? Or does it concern all these aspects? Fortunately, in recent years, IFPRI, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have collaborated to develop a concrete means to measure these factors, the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). The latest version of the index, the project-level WEAI (pro-WEAI), focuses on evaluating agricultural development projects. Users discussed its applications in a launch event Oct. 25.

Photo credit: Melissa Cooperman/IFPRI