Collaborative Research: Women's Empowerment, Food Security and Farm Productivity

本项目以乌干达的乳制品部门为实地考察点，调查旨在赋予妇女权力和促进发展中国家性别平等的发展倡议的影响。与许多发展中国家一样，在乌干达，妇女在农业劳动力中占主导地位，但基于性别的不平等限制了她们提高农业生产力和盈利能力的能力。缩小性别差距的一项关键发展战略侧重于在农业价值链中赋予妇女权力，这是将农民与市场联系起来的一系列广泛活动。然而，价值链发展倡议对女性农民赋权和解决性别不平等问题的影响却知之甚少。本研究采用价值链方法和地理空间分析，通过比较具有积极的性别与发展项目的乳制品价值链与没有性别专项项目的乳制品价值链，考察乌干达的性别主流化工作。这项研究的结果将有助于更好地理解女性农民参与市场是如何促进女性发展的。增强发展中国家的权能并改善其农业生产力和粮食安全。本研究的目的是：1)识别和衡量性别主流化工作如何影响妇女参与价值链、家庭性别平等和社区性别平等；2)分析妇女赋权在个人、家庭和社区层面的空间和地理后果；3)评估在空间背景下检查性别如何有助于制定发展计划的决策。为了实现这一目标，将使用混合方法研究方法，包括：1)对从事价值链的女性和男性农民进行调查；2)对价值链农户的男女农民以及价值链上的主要利益相关者进行深入访谈；3)地理空间分析；4)随机实验。通过对扶贫价值链项目进行理论指导和实证分析，本研究可以为捐助组织、发展从业者、私营部门、有意通过基于市场的举措帮助弱势群体的政策制定者以及从事农业、性别和发展领域工作的学者提供信息并影响他们的决策。

This project investigates the implications of development initiatives that seek to empower women and enhance gender equity in developing countries, using the dairy sector in Uganda as a field site. In Uganda, as in many developing countries, women dominate the agricultural labor force, yet gender-based inequalities constrain their ability to enhance farm productivity and profitability. A key development strategy to close the gender gap focuses on empowering women within agricultural value chains, the wide-ranging set of activities that connect farmers to markets. Yet little is known about the effects of value chain development initiatives for empowering female farmers and addressing gender-based inequalities. This research uses a value chain approach and geospatial analysis to examine gender mainstreaming efforts in Uganda by comparing dairy value chains with active gender and-development programs with dairy value chains that do not have gender-specific programs. The results from this study will provide a better understanding of how female farmer participation in the marketplace facilitates women?s empowerment and improves farm productivity and food security in developing countries.The objectives of this research are to: 1) Identify and measure how gender mainstreaming efforts affect women's participation in the value chain, gender equity in the household, and gender equity in the community; 2) Analyze the spatial and geographic consequences of women's empowerment at the individual, household, and community levels; and 3) Evaluate how examining gender within a spatial context assists in decision making for development programs. To accomplish this, a mixed method research approach will be used including: 1) surveys of female and male farmers engaged in the value chain; 2) in-depth interviews with female and male farmers from households engaged in the value chain, as well as key stakeholders throughout the value chain; 3) geospatial analysis; and 4) a randomized experiment. By conducting a theory directed, empirically grounded analysis of pro-poor value chain projects, this research can inform and shape the decisions of donor organizations, development practitioners, the private sector, and policy makers interested in targeting vulnerable populations through market based initiatives, as well as academics working in the areas of agriculture, gender, and development.