Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) Academy 2017... · Agriculture as a source of food for own consumption 2. ... Module G8(c): Life satisfaction MODULE G9: Attitudes

Women’s Empowerment in

Agriculture Index (WEAI):Foundations and adaptations for project use

ANH Academy Week 2017

Kathmandu, Nepal

Hazel Malapit, Jessica Heckert, and Elena Martinez

Objectives

Participants should be able to:

Understand how and why gender considerations and women’s

empowerment matter for nutrition-sensitive agricultural programs

Understand how the WEAI can be used to diagnose areas of

disempowerment, and monitor intended and unintended impacts

of agricultural development programs on women’s empowerment

Understand how the WEAI is being adapted for use in a project

context

Understand how the WEAI data is collected, and be familiar with

best practices on survey implementation

Agenda Introduction to WEAI and pro-WEAI

Agriculture-nutrition pathways and gendered pathways

Introduction to the project-level WEAI

Integrating quantitative and qualitative research

Pro-WEAI nutrition and health module

Interactive case studies: using pro-WEAI for nutrition-sensitive

projects

LUNCH BREAK

Interactive case studies (continued)

Report back and discussion

Baseline results from pro-WEAI nutrition

Photo credit: Flickr/Farha Khan, IFPRI

Photo credit: Flickr/ Ollivier Girard, CIFOR

Health environmentNatural resources

Food market environment

Nutrition and health knowledge

Food accessFood

expenditure

Non-food

expenditure

Diet Child

nutrition

outcomes

Ho

use

ho

ld a

sset

s an

d liv

elih

oo

ds

Health status

Mother’s

nutrition

outcomes

Health care

Women’s

empowerment

National

nutrition

profile

Agricultural

income

Caring capacity

& practices

Female energy

expenditure

Food

production &

gathering

National

economic

growth

Individual

Household

Enabling environment

Processing

& storage

Agr

icult

ura

l P

roduct

ion

Source: Herforth and Harris 2013

Individual

nutrition

outcomes*

*individual nutrition outcomes refer to the general population,

including women, men, and adolescents (not just mothers and children)

Conceptual pathways between agriculture and nutrition

Gender along ag-nutrition pathways

IFPRI Images

1. Agriculture as a source of food for own consumption

2. Agriculture as a source of income

3. Agricultural policies affect prices of food and non-food crops

4. Women’s participation in agriculture and the effect on her social status

and empowerment & in particular her access to and control over

resources

5. The impact of women’s participation in agriculture on their time

allocation

6. The impact of women’s participation in agriculture on their own health

and nutritional status (and also child nutrition) (Ruel and Alderman 2013)

Photo credit: Flickr / Finn Thilsted, WorldFish

What is the WEAI?

Developed by IFPRI, USAID, and OPHI

Designed to measure inclusion of women

in the agricultural sector for Feed the

Future (FTF) Initiative

Survey-based index - interviews men

and women in the same household

Similar to multi-dimensional poverty

indices (Alkire and Foster 2011, J of

Public Econ) and the Foster-Greere-

Thorbeck (FGT) indices

Details on index construction in Alkire et

al. (2013), World Development

14

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Fiv

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ain

s of

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Fiv

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s of

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A woman’s empowerment score shows her own

achievements

Fiv

e d

om

ain

s of

em

pow

erm

ent

Abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI)

1/5

2/15

1/5

1/5

Cross-country baseline findings: credit, workload,

and group membership are most important constraints

across countries

19

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

Dis

emp

ow

erm

ent

Ind

ex (

1 -

5D

E)

Leisure

Workload

Speaking in public

Group member

Control over use of income

Access to and decisions on credit

Purchase, sale, or transfer of assets

Ownership of assets

Autonomy in production

Input in productive decisions

Source: Malapit et al. (2014)

Photo credit: Flickr/Neil Palmer, CIAT

WEAI for projects…Making the perfect omelet

Photo source: omletteshoppe.com

What do projects want?

Photo source: omletteshoppe.com

Streamlined,

easy to

collect

Adaptable

to project

context

Understand

QUALITATIVE aspects

(hows & whys)

Autonomy beyond

agriculture

Empowerment

relating to health &

nutrition

Developing a

“Project-

level” WEAI

(pro-WEAI)

Comparable metrics for

empowerment

Core set of WEAI

empowerment modules

+ Standardized add-on

survey modules and

qualitative protocols

Choosing respondents Original WEAI

Population-based indicator

Self-identified primary male and primary female decisionmakers in the household

Not necessarily husband and wife

Project WEAI

Project-level indicator (not nationally or regionally representative)

Who is your project trying to empower? (e.g., farmers growing/raising specific crops/animals; mothers with young children; members of specific types of groups, etc.)

Pro-WEAI respondent can be target beneficiary and spouse / other decisionmaker in household

Sampling design and respondent choice are key differences between original WEAI and project WEAI

Does this compromise comparability across different projects?

Maybe, but not as problematic within clusters

BUT: projects have to be able to define their respondents based on project objectives

Comparison of original WEAI, A-WEAI and pro-WEAIOriginal: 5 domains, 10 indicators A-WEAI: 5 domains, 6 indicators pro-WEAI: proposed domains, indicators

DOMAIN INDICATORS DOMAIN INDICATORS DOMAIN INDICATORS1 Production Input in productive

decisionsAutonomy in production

Production Input in productive decisions

Production Input in productive decisionsAutonomy in productionAccess to information

2 Resources Ownership of assetsPurchase, sale, or transfer of assetsAccess to and decisions on credit

Resources Ownership of assetsAccess to and decisions on credit

Resources Use rights over landOwnership of assetsAccess to and decisions on creditAccess to a financial account

3 Income Control over use of income

Income Control over use of income

Income Control over use of incomeAutonomy in use of income

4 Leadership Group membershipSpeaking in public

Leadership Group membership Leadership Group membership

5 Time WorkloadLeisure

Time Workload Time Workload (+childcare)

Physical mobility

Frequency and decisions on physical mobility

Intrahouseholdrelationships

Mutual respect

Individual empowerment

Self-efficacyLife satisfaction

Domestic violence

Attitudes about domestic violence

Nutrition Input in healthcare decisionsInput in reproductive health decisionsInput in IYCF decisionsInput in food consumption decisionsInput in food consumption decisionswhile pregnant/breastfeedingInput in purchasing decisions for food and medicine

Draft pro-WEAI main modules

Module G1: Individual identification

Module G2: Role in household decision-making around production and

income

Module G3(a): Access to productive capital

Module G3(b): Access to financial services

Module G4: Time allocation

Module G5: Group membership

Module G6: Physical mobility

Module G7: Intrahousehold relationships

Module G8(a): Autonomy in decision-making

Module G8(b): New general self-efficacy scale

Module G8(c): Life satisfaction

MODULE G9: Attitudes about domestic violence

*optional*

*some

elements are

optional*

Photo credit: IFPRI Images / Milo Mitchell, IFPRI

Implementing pro-WEAI in the field

PROBLEMS

Enumeration – translation,

interviewer bias, long interview

duration, interviewing men and

women separately, NGO speak

Logistics – travel to remote areas,

internet connectivity, seasonality

Money - budget constraints

Polygamous households – defining a

household, deciding which wife to

interview

Data collection instruments -

overload of instruments, qualitative

tools are not project-specific

SOLUTIONS

Experienced enumerators – strong language skills, anticipate difficult questions, both male and female

Attention to translation –connotation, word choice

Quick data review for quality control and re-training

Communication between researchers and implementers –involve PIs and in-country research staff in training and piloting

Use qualitative research to understand local context

Flexible funding

Why add qualitative to good quantitative?

Not just to illustrate quantitative findings, but illuminates different aspects of topics/themes

Research questions framed differently

Identify how and why a behavior occurs (mechanisms)

Differences rooted in different philosophies of how knowledge is produced

Useful for reframing existing research questions

May help better identify target populations

For intervention and research questions

Research questions related to dairy production

How to increase production among

rural dairy-producing households and

improve their nutritional status and

quality of life?

Question 1?

Question 2?

Question 3?

Question 1?

Question 2?

Question 3?

Quantitative Qualitative

Research questions related to dairy production

Does a nutrition-sensitive program

that distributes dairy animals

improve nutritional status?

Does an intervention reduce the

spread of zoonotic disease (and

improve nutritional outcomes)?

Does the rise of supermarkets

affect milk production and

consumption among rural dairy

farmers?

How do households allocate care

for and output from dairy animals?

What are the roles of different

household members in dairy

production?

How and why do male and female

farmers link with markets?


How to increase production among

rural dairy-producing households and

improve their nutritional status and

quality of life?

Potential methods for addressing the

qualitative questions

How do households

allocate care for and

output from dairy

animals?

What are the roles of

various household

members in dairy

production?

How and why do rural

farmers link with

markets?

• Focus group discussions around workload and

household food allocation

• Participant observation and semi-structured

interviews with men, women, hired workers

(following the milk)

• Semi-structured interviews and participant

observation with men, women, hired workers

(following the milk)

• Identify participant households according to

whether they have a few cows or many cows

• Participant observation in markets (attention to

activities that occur alongside financial

transactions)

• Semi-structured interviews with buyers and

sellers

Qualitative

Potential methods for addressing the

quantitative questions

Does a nutrition-sensitive

program that distributes

dairy animals improve

nutritional status?

Does an intervention

reduce the spread of

zoonotic disease (and

improve nutrition)?

Does the rise of

supermarkets affect

production and

consumption among dairy

farmers?

• Household surveys with modules on

• Gender disaggregated ownership of

livestock

• Consumption by household member

• Anthropometry and other biomarkers

• Household surveys with modules on related

hygiene practices and anthropometry.

• High frequency data collection of milk quality,

human morbidity, and presence of pathogens.

• Multiple waves of a household surveys that

covers period of interest, including detail on

dairy production, sales, and consumption.

• Complimentary data on supermarkets, including

location and tenure.

Quantitative

Linking quantitative and qualitative

Does a nutrition-

sensitive program

that distributes dairy

animals improve

nutritional status?

Does an intervention

reduce the spread of

zoonotic disease (and

improve nutritional

outcomes)?

Does the rise of

supermarkets affect

production and

consumption among

dairy farmers?

How do households

allocate care for and

output from dairy

animals?

What are the roles of

various household

members in dairy

production?

How and why do rural

farmers link with

markets?


Qualitative as formative research to shape and

target the intervention:

• Young women with limited power in

household may do milking (direct contact).

• Men may store and sell milk (maintain cold

chain).

Qualitative to explain quantitative results:

• As milk becomes more valuable, it shifts

from female- to male-dominated production

• Preference for known agents may persist to

fulfill social reciprocity (e.g., extended kin)

Qualitative integrated in sequential design:

• Women may manage livestock that

households receive but not control milk

(sold rather than consumed).

• Or, the increased workload decreases time

spent on child care related activities.

Photo credit: Nesbitt/UNICEF Ethiopia

Nutrition and health module

Types of nutrition targeting in the GAAP2 portfolio

Women’s own health and nutrition (e.g., dietary diversity or quality)

Children aged 2 years and younger, including intervention during pregnancy

General household nutrition and expected spillover to children (broad age range)

Timeframe of program impact: questions GX.04 & GX.08

Some questions that refer to “now” are relevant regardless of implementation timing (e.g., what a woman eats, whether her child eats nutritious foods).

Some questions refer to a specific experience in the past (e.g., pregnancy, lactation).

Change timeframe in GX.04 & GX.08 to reflect length of implementation you will want to cover at follow-up interview (e.g., only want pregnancy information for women who became pregnant since the start of program implementation).

Draft pro-WEAI nutrition moduleNOTE: Respondent is the mother or primary caregiver of index child

Decisions on healthcare, reproductive health, and types of food children can

eat

“Now I’d like to ask you some questions on making decisions about the

health of you and your child and about the types of food that your child

can eat.”

For respondents who have been pregnant or given birth in last 3 years:

Decisions on healthcare, types of foods that can be eaten while

pregnant/breastfeeding, breastfeeding and complimentary feeding

“The next set of questions asks only about decisions that were made

while you were pregnant or breastfeeding your youngest child.”

Purchasing and acquiring certain types of food and medicine

“The next set of questions asks about your ability to obtain the types of

food and medicine that you want for you and your child.”

Photo credit: Cassie Chandler/Freedom from Hunger

Case studies

Food and Agricultural Approaches to

Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM)

Bangladesh

Hellen Keller International and

University of Heidelberg

Building resilience of vulnerable

communities

Burkina Faso

Grameen Foundation

Targeting and Realigning Agriculture to Improve Nutrition

(TRAIN)

Bangladesh

IFPRI and BRAC

Empowerment, Resilience, and

Livestock Transfers

Nepal

Heifer International

Deploying improved vegetable

technologies to overcome malnutrition

and poverty

Mali

World Vegetable Center

Case studies



Bangladesh




communities

Burkina Faso

Grameen Foundation


(TRAIN)

Bangladesh

IFPRI and BRAC


Livestock Transfers

Nepal




and poverty

Mali


Case studies



Bangladesh




communities

Burkina Faso

Grameen Foundation


(TRAIN)

Bangladesh

IFPRI and BRAC


Livestock Transfers

Nepal




and poverty

Mali


Case studies



Bangladesh




communities

Burkina Faso

Grameen Foundation


(TRAIN)

Bangladesh

IFPRI and BRAC


Livestock Transfers

Nepal




and poverty

Mali


Case studies



Bangladesh




communities

Burkina Faso

Grameen Foundation


(TRAIN)

Bangladesh

IFPRI and BRAC


Livestock Transfers

Nepal




and poverty

Mali


Putting it into practice

1. What do you think would be the potential impact of this

project, specifically on women’s empowerment? Use the

impact pathways.

2. How would you use the quantitative and qualitative tools

to examine the program impact and associated pathways

you identified in #1?


1. What do you think would be the potential impact of this

project, specifically on women’s empowerment? Use the

impact pathways.




Last 10 minutes:

Pair up and select a module from the quantitative survey

Practice the module with your partner

Lunch Break!


1. What is the project’s impact, focusing specifically on

women’s empowerment? Use the impact pathways.




3. What potential challenges do you foresee in the field?

4. What tools would you like to add to this toolbox to

address these challenges?

Discussion

Pro-WEAI Nutrition and Health:

Preliminary Results

Project Abbreviation N

Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing

Malnutrition

FAARM 287

Building resilience of vulnerable communities Grameen 380

Targeting and Realigning Agriculture to Improve

Nutrition

TRAIN 5,040

Deploying improved vegetable technologies to

overcome malnutrition and poverty

WorldVeg 714

TOTAL 6,421


Preliminary Results

Project Abbreviation N

Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing

Malnutrition

FAARM 287

Building resilience of vulnerable communities Grameen 380

Targeting and Realigning Agriculture to Improve

Nutrition

TRAIN 5,040

Deploying improved vegetable technologies to

overcome malnutrition and poverty

WorldVeg 714

TOTAL 6,421


Has input into decisions about…

GX.01=self or GX.02>=3 FAARM(Bangladesh)

Grameen(Burkina Faso)

TRAIN(Bangladesh)

WorldVeg(Mali)

Total

Healthcare decisions (A-B) 97.9 77.9 95.9 94.4 94.8

Contraception (D) 97.7 72.5 97.4 96.0 95.9

Food consumption (E-F) 99.7 85.3 98.5 95.4 97.4

Healthcare during

pregnancy (G)94.0 73.5 92.1 93.1 91.8

Egg consumption during

pregnancy (J)99.2 85.9 96.4 92.8 95.8

Working while lactating (M) 100.0 82.9 97.1 93.3 96.3

Respondent makes the decision solely or jointly or can participate to at least a

medium extent in the decision


Has input into decisions about…

GX.01=self or GX.02>=3 FAARM(Bangladesh)


TRAIN(Bangladesh)

WorldVeg(Mali)

Total

Healthcare decisions (A-B) 97.9 77.9 95.9 94.4 94.8

Contraception (D) 97.7 72.5 97.4 96.0 95.9

Food consumption (E-F) 99.7 85.3 98.5 95.4 97.4

Healthcare during

pregnancy (G)94.0 73.5 92.1 93.1 91.8

Egg consumption during

pregnancy (J)99.2 85.9 96.4 92.8 95.8

Working while lactating (M) 100.0 82.9 97.1 93.3 96.3

Respondent makes the decision solely or jointly or can participate to at least a

medium extent in the decision

Pro-WEAI Nutrition and Health: Has input into decisions about whether to purchase…

GX.09=self or GX.10=1 FAARM(Bangladesh)


TRAIN(Bangladesh)

WorldVeg(Mali)

Total

Food (A-C, E) 94.8 75.3 78.1 80.1 78.9

Medications and

supplements (H-I)96.5 67.9 88.3 76.4 86.2

Care and hygiene related

products (J-L)100.0 96.6 90.3 79.9 90.0

Respondent makes the decision solely or jointly or can acquire the item(s) if

needed

Pro-WEAI Nutrition and Health: Has input into decisions about whether to purchase…

GX.09=self or GX.10=1 FAARM(Bangladesh)


TRAIN(Bangladesh)

WorldVeg(Mali)

Total

Food (A-C, E) 94.8 75.3 78.1 80.1 78.9

Medications and

supplements (H-I)96.5 67.9 88.3 76.4 86.2

Care and hygiene related

products (J-L)100.0 96.6 90.3 79.9 90.0

Respondent makes the decision solely or jointly or can acquire the item(s) if

needed

Pro-WEAI Nutrition and Health: Has input into decisions about eggs, meat, or milk

GX.01=self or GX.02>=3

GX.05=self or GX.06>=3

GX.09=self or GX.10=1

FAARM(Bangladesh)


TRAIN(Bangladesh)

WorldVeg(Mali)

Total

Whether you can eat any of

them during pregnancy100.0 89.0 97.7 92.8 96.9

Whether you can eat any of

them during lactation- 94.0 98.9 93.8 98.0

Whether your child is

offered any of them to eat100.0 90.2 99.3 97.6 98.4

Purchasing any of them 100.0 82.0 81.9 79.0 82.2

Respondent makes the decision solely or jointly, can participate to at least a

medium extent in the decision, or can acquire them item(s) if needed

Connecting to the WEAI community

GAAP2 Website: gaap.ifpri.info

WEAI Resource Center: ifpri.org/topic/weai-resource-center

Pro-WEAI Resource Center: Stay tuned…!

Thanks for joining us!

For more information, contact Hazel Malapit: [email protected]

Documents

Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) Academy 2017... · Agriculture as a source of food for own consumption 2. ... Module G8(c): Life satisfaction MODULE G9: Attitudes