Professional Documents
Culture Documents
collective action
Findings and recommendations February 2013
Contents
Highlights of findings on womens
collective action
Recommendations from the research
Innovative development actor strategies
Regional and national seminars in
Ethiopia, Mali and Tanzania
Welcome
The Researching Womens
Collective Action (WCA) project
was launched in December 2009 by
Oxfam, with funding from the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Highlights of findings on
research was conducted in three
phases, and gathered much- womens collective action
needed evidence on how collective
action can improve women
Economic benefits and barriers when they are also members of informal
WCA members receive more income groups. Otherwise, changes in
smallholders incomes, strengthen
than women trading alone. empowerment vary considerably as
their assets and increase their
The research found significant economic gender norms differ. In Tanzania and Mali,
empowerment. The project also
convened key stakeholders in benefits for women who join collective women members benefit from increased
dialogues to improve strategies and action groups. Group members are more freedom of movement; in Ethiopia, from
policies to support effective WCA in productive and their products are higher enhanced control of household
agricultural markets. quality, so they receive more income from expenditure. In Mali, WCA members have
what they sell. In Tanzania, women gained greater autonomy over the use of
In this final briefing, we highlight agricultural incomes, and are now
members earn almost 70 per cent more
key findings and recommendations consulted more on community and
than comparable women not in groups; in
from Phase III of the research, and organizational decision-making.
share information on stakeholder Mali and Ethiopia, group members earn
80 per cent more. Income gains from markets dont
events in the three focus countries.
Key barriers still limit WCA members translate into broad-based
Quantitative and qualitative
analysis was undertaken in one engagement in markets. empowerment.
sub-sector per country: honey in Collective action improves women WCA members earn more than non-
Ethiopia, vegetables in Tanzania smallholders access to credit and market members. However, in only between one and
and shea butter in Mali. The information, while training and improved three of the eight dimensions used to assess
findings provide answers to some technology raise quality and productivity. changes to control over decisions (see
important questions: How do However, time poverty, limited mobility Methodology on p.2) are women members
women smallholders benefit from outside their village and restrictive social significantly more empowered than
collective action? How do groups norms still significantly limit womens non-members.
help women overcome market access to agricultural markets. Groups Group membership has little impact on
barriers? Which women participate seldom address these issues, and rights over assets.
in collective action and who is support women more in production and Being a group member doesnt
excluded? Which strategies are finance than market engagement. systematically strengthen womens
most helpful to ensure benefits to decision-making power over asset
women farmers? The findings will Empowerment ownership. However, some women gain
help development practitioners to WCA members have increased control access to individual or community assets:
improve strategies of support to over decisions in some domains. in Tanzania, men registered land in
smallholder farmers and to Across all three countries, women in womens names for vegetable production
influence others. groups have more decision-making power and in Mali, women acquired land to plant
on use of credit; this impact is significant shea trees. continued
Photo: Honey producers from Meserethiwot cooperative
in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Credit: Berhanu Denu
Findings and Recommendations Researching womens collective action
...continued
type benefits women most; women For more information on Phase III
For more information on the research
experience empowerment in different findings, download the Oxfam
methodology for Phase III visit:
areas, from different kinds of groups, and International Research Report at:
http://womenscollectiveaction.com/
empowerment impacts are often greater http://womenscollectiveaction.com/ Phase+III
from the combined effect of membership Phase+III
of more than one group.
Women-only groups enable effective
participation in mixed groups.
While economic benefits are often higher
in mixed groups due to greater resources,
networks and access to transport,
women-only groups allow women to
develop skills and confidence, and
participate effectively in mixed groups.
Women-only or women-led groups can
avoid appropriation of benefits by men
(not uncommon in mixed groups where
men dominate leadership roles).
Transparent group governance and
(Left to right): Treasurer, Secretary and Chairperson of Matumaini A vegetable group in Lushoto district, Tanzania.
Credit: Martin Walsh
Benefits of membership for women smallholders who join collective action groups
1
The methodology adopted was informed by the Womens Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Oxford
Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). See http://www.ophi.org.uk/policy/national-policy/the-women%E2%80%99s-empowerment-in-agriculture-index/ for further details.
February 2013
...continued
Recommendations for
policy makers
Ensure local coordination of action
and knowledge sharing. Sharing of
Regional and national
Improve national policies in support of information about existing seminars in Ethiopia,
organizations and the support they
WCA. Explicit legal principles of equality
receive from different actors is
Mali and Tanzania
of participation and benefits from
cooperatives and other forms of important to create synergies and In September and October 2012, Oxfam
association are needed to support avoid duplication. District authorities, and its partners convened national
effective WCA. Where these exist already, local cooperative agencies and gender seminars in each of the three focus
they need to be popularized nationally equality offices can play important countries. Researchers presented the
and locally among development actors. roles in promoting good practices for preliminary Phase III findings to a range of
Where gender gaps persist in strengthening WCA. development actors, including
participation in formal marketing Review wider policies affecting government ministers, researchers,
organizations, government agencies need womens participation in collective donors, NGO workers and Oxfam
to agree targets to redress these. Space action and rural womens programme staff, while women
must also be protected for informal empowerment. Policy interventions smallholders were present to share their
organizations where women dominate, also need to address deeply experiences of involvement in collective
and mechanisms developed to strengthen embedded attitudes and beliefs, as action groups. The project team collected
informal-formal linkages. Policy makers well as gender asset gaps, for example feedback on the findings, as well as ideas
also need to consider support to more through strengthening womens land and suggestions for further analysis, and
flexible group structures, reductions to rights and joint/sole land registration, participants discussed how the findings
group registration costs and simplification and reviewing family law and should influence development actor
of group procedures. property rights. strategies and policy work going forward.
Regional seminars also took place in
Tanzania and Ethiopia, which shared the
Innovative strategies to maximize projects key messaging and collected
feedback from important stakeholders in
benefits for women farmers the areas where the research had been
carried out. Over 200 participants from
Development actors employ a number of butter in Mali have been able to secure
approximately 90 organizations took part
effective strategies to engage women in access to key assets and resources to
in the seminars.
collective action and increase the benefits sustain their engagement in the sub-
which they can derive from WCA groups. For more information on the national
sector. Women have been allocated two to
seminars visit:
Below, we highlight selected examples of three hectare plots of land by community
http://womenscollectiveaction.com/
promising interventions from Ethiopia, leaders for shea plantations and men are
National+Seminars
Mali and Tanzania that led to positive also planting trees in their fields.
outcomes for women through collective Linking to high-value domestic markets
action in markets.
Affiliation to the umbrella Usambara Lishe
Changing by-laws to increase Trust in Tanzania has enabled WCA
membership groups to access more distant, higher-
Cooperative by-laws in some districts of value markets through growing a different
Amhara region in Ethiopia now allow dual mix of vegetables, responding to
membership of husbands and wives changing demand. Securing contracts
rather than one member per household. with urban supermarkets, and ensuring
This change, combined with other women members receive payments
interventions, has dramatically increased directly and are trained in marketing, have
womens membership of formal groups all been positive factors contributing.
and shifted attitudes towards womens
More details on these and other strategies
role in the honey sector.
can be found in the country case studies,
Securing community assets available to download at:
Through influencing local community http://womenscollectiveaction.com/
leaders, womens groups marketing shea Case+Studies
National seminar in Bamako, Mali