The WEAI Tool and Feed the Future Ethiopia Findings

1. The WEAI Tool and Feed the
Future Ethiopia Findings
Hazel Malapit, IFPRI / PHN
Fanaye Tadesse, IFPRI / ESSP
Gender and Agriculture: Reviewing the evidence and the way forward
Getfam Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 June 2016

3. Purpose of the WEAI
• Design, develop, and test an index to measure
the greater inclusion of women in agricultural
sector growth that has occurred as a result of
US Government intervention under the Feed
the Future (FTF) Initiative
3

4. Measuring Women’s Empowerment:
Challenges and Opportunities
• Defining empowerment: “expanding people’s ability to
make strategic life choices, particularly in contexts in
which this ability had been denied to them” (Kabeer
1999)
• Challenges: empowerment is personal, context-specific,
therefore difficult to measure
• But: what’s measured matters: if we measure, we can
monitor, and use it as a benchmark for progress
4

5. Methodological foundations and innovations
• Key aspect of index construction: similar to family of multi-
dimensional poverty indices (Alkire and Foster 2011, J of Public
Econ) and the Foster-Greere-Thorbeck (FGT) poverty indices
• Innovative because it uses interviews of the primary male and
primary female adults in the same household
• Focus is strictly on empowerment in agriculture, distinct from
economic status, education, and empowerment in other
domains
• Details on index construction in Alkire et al. (2013), World
Development
5

6. How is the Index constructed?
Five domains of
empowerment
(5DE)
A direct measure of
women’s empowerment
in 5 dimensions
Gender parity
Index (GPI)
Women’s
achievements relative
to the primary male
in hh
Women’s
Empowerment
in Agriculture
Index
(WEAI)
WEAI is made up of two sub indices
All range from zero to one;
higher values = greater empowerment
90 % 10 %
6

7. The 5DE
• Production: decisions about agricultural production, including sole or
joint decisionmaking power over food or cash-crop farming, livestock,
and fisheries, as well as autonomy in agricultural production
• Resources: access to and decisionmaking power over productive
resources, including ownership of, access to, and decisionmaking
power over productive resources such as land, livestock, agricultural
equipment, consumer durables, and credit
• Income: sole or joint control over income and expenditures
• Leadership: Leadership in the community, including membership in
economic or social groups and being comfortable with speaking in
public
• Time: allocation of time to productive and domestic tasks and
satisfaction with the time available for leisure activities
7

8. Fivedomainsofempowerment
A woman’s empowerment score shows her own achievements
8

9. Who is empowered?
A woman who has achieved
‘adequacy’ in 80% or more of
the weighted indicators
is empowered
9

10. Q: Is Lilian Empowered/Disempowered?

11. A: Lilian is Empowered

12. Q: Is Seema Empowered/Disempowered?

13. A: Seema is Disempowered

14. Gender Parity Index (GPI)
Reflects two things:
1. The percentage of women who enjoy gender parity. A woman
enjoys gender parity if
– she is empowered or
– her empowerment score is equal to or greater than the
empowerment score of the primary male in her household.
2. The empowerment gap - the average percentage shortfall that a
woman without parity experiences relative to the male in her
household.
The GPI adapts the FGT Poverty Gap measure to reflect gender parity.
14

15. How is WEAI used?
1. As a monitoring indicator for FTF to evaluate whether
programs are having intended effect on women's
empowerment
2. As a diagnostic tool to help identify areas in which
women and men are disempowered, so that
programs and policies can be targeted to those areas
3. Impact evaluations, testing new indicators/assessing
validity in different contexts, etc.
15

16. Impact of WEAI worldwide
5 = FTF countries only
15 = other organizations only
13 = both FTF countries & other organizations
62 known cases of WEAI adoption (including IFAD & FAO)
WB will collect A-WEAI in future waves of Malawi LSMS-ISA

17. WEAI : Ethiopia Result

18. Data
• Data from a baseline and survey conducted for the evaluation of the
FtF program in Ethiopia, the US government global hunger and food
security initiative.
• Collected from 5 regions of the country and comprises of 7,056
households from 84 woredas (districts).
• Data collection took place in June 2013 and 2015.
• The questionnaire used for the survey includes modules on
• basic demographic information; household consumption expenditure;
Women empowerment indicators; women dietary diversity and
anthropometry; child anthropometry and infant and young child
feeding; employment, agricultural productivity and input use; and
other relevant information.
• The data is representative at FTF zone of influence.
18

19. Feed the Future in Ethiopia
19

20. Women Empowerment in Agricultural Index results.
Indices
Survey Midline Vs.
baselineBaseline Interim
78.1% 73.3% -6.2%
41.0% 39.2% -4.4%
Disempowerment Index 0.321 0.288 -10.3%
5DE Index 0.676 0.711 5.2%
% of women with no gender parity 56.0% 53.3% -4.8%
% of women with gender parity 44.0% 46.7% 6.1%
Average Empowerment Gap 23.5% 22.9% -2.6%
GPI 0.869 0.878 1.0%
WEAI 0.698 0.729 4.4%
WEAI : Result
20

21. Contribution of each of the 5 domains to disempowerment of women
15.1%
12.7%
17.6%
16.8%
7.3%
14.1%
2.7%
2.1%
7.9%
3.7%
Input in Productive
Decisions
Autonomy in
Production
Ownership of Assets
Purchase, Sale or
Transfer of Asset
Access to and
Decisions on Credit
Control Over use of
Income
Group Membership
Speaking in Public
Workload
Leisure
21

22. Contribution of the 10 sub-domains to the disempowerment of women
Domain Sub-domain Baseline Interim
Production
Input in productive decisions 3.5% 3.7%
Autonomy in production 7.4% 7.9%
Resources
Ownership of assets 4.8% 2.1%
Purchase, sale or transfer of assets 5.4% 2.7%
Access to and decisions on credit 15.1% 14.1%
Income
Control over use of income 6.5% 7.3%
Leadership
Group membership 15.4% 16.8%
Speaking in public 14.4% 17.6%
Time
Workload 13.5% 12.7%
Leisure 14.1% 15.1%
22

23. Result: Proportion of disempowered women by the sub-
domains (Interim survey)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Input in
Productive
Decisions
Autonomy in
Production
Ownership
of Assets
Purchase,
Sale or
Transfer of
Asset
Access to
and
Decisions on
Credit
Control Over
use of
Income
Group
Membership
Speaking in
Public
Workload Leisure
23

24. Contribution of each domain to disempowerment of women
WEAI : Result
24

25. Baseline Midline
Female Male Female Male
Disempowered Headcount 78.1% 59.3% 73.3% 46.5%
Average Inadequacy Score 41.0% 35.0% 39.2% 34.4%
Disempowerment Index 0.321 0.208 0.288 0.16
5DE Index 0.679 0.792 0.712 0.84
% of women with no gender parity 56.0% 53.3%
Average Empowerment Gap 23.5% 22.9%
GPI 0.869 0.878
WEAI 0.698 0.729
Women Empowerment in Agricultural Index (comparison between men and
female)
25

26. Contribution of each of the 5 domains to disempowerment of men
Women
26

27. Result: Proportion of Disempowered Men and Women
(Interim survey)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Input in
Productive
Decisions
Autonomy in
Production
Ownership of
Assets
Purchase,
Sale or
Transfer of
Asset
Access to and
Decisions on
Credit
Control Over
use of
Income
Group
Membership
Speaking in
Public
Workload Leisure
Women Men
27

28. Conclusion
• Overall empowerment of women based on the WEAI shows some
level of improvement.
• Percentage of women who are disempowered in the 5 domains has
declined.
• Percentage of women who are adequate in the ten indicators has
increased except in speaking in public indicator (declined) and
leisure (remained the same).
• The percentage of women who are disempowered in the resource
domain has declined
• Major contributors to disempowerment of women in both rounds are
leadership and time domains.
• Similar contributors to the disempowerment of both women and men
28

29. Gender Integration and
Empowerment in Agriculture
29
Interventions to address gender gaps at scale:
• Women’s Agribusiness Leadership Network created a sustainable network of
over 500 women entrepreneurs and their mentees in four regions. Over 78,000
women joined farmer cooperative unions as a result.
• 250 women Transitioning Out of Pastoralism (TOPs) and 167 in the dairy sector
were trained on business skills and entrepreneurship.
WEAI Analysis:
• Leadership and time
domains are the largest
contributors to the
disempowerment for
women which might
contribute to the limited
access to trainings and
technology application
compared to men.

30. Bangladesh’s Experience with
the WEAI and Lessons for
Ethiopia
Hazel Malapit, IFPRI / PHN
Fanaye Tadesse, IFPRI / ESSP
Gender and Agriculture: Reviewing the evidence and the way forward
Getfam Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 June 2016

31. What’s special about Bangladesh?
• First FTF country to collect the WEAI
– Pilot country (with Uganda and Guatemala)
– Went to field before WEAI was finalized; collected
an extensive pilot version
• Only FTF country to collect WEAI nationally
• First FTF country to publicly release data
• Lowest WEAI score among the 13 countries
included in global report
• Showed remarkable improvement in WEAI
scores in only 2 years (+17%)
31

32. Baseline Results
• Preliminary WEAI results shared broadly, even
before baseline report was finalized
• Generated a lot of demand for more analysis
and for access to data
• BIHS released for public access in April 2013
• Published open-access research article on WEAI
and food security (Sraboni et al 2014)
32

33. Which domains contribute most to
disempowerment of women?
33
INADEQUACY
IN
LEADERSHIP
32%
INADEQUACY
IN
RESOURCES
21%
INADEQUACY
IN INCOME
20%
INADEQUACY
IN
PRODUCTION
16%
INADEQUACY
IN TIME
12%
FtF Zone
INADEQUACY
IN
LEADERSHIP
35%
INADEQUACY
IN
RESOURCES
22%
INADEQUACY
IN INCOME
15%
INADEQUACY
IN
PRODUCTION
15%
INADEQUACY
IN TIME
13%
Bangladesh

34. Which indicators contribute most to
disempowerment of women in the FtF zone?
34
LEADERSHIP
32%
RESOURCES
21%
INCOME
19%
PRODUCTION
16%
TIME
12%
Lack of group
membership 17%
Inadequate
ownership of
assets 5%
Lack of input in decision-making
over purchase, sale or transfer of
assets 7%
Insufficient access to and
decisions on credit 9%
Lack of control over
use of income 19%
Lack of input in
productive decisions
11%
Insufficient autonomy
in production 5%
Discomfort in speaking in
public 15%
Inadequate leisure 7%
Dissatisfaction with workload
5%

35. How do major disempowering factors differ by
region? Comparing FtF zone and Rangpur division
35
LEADERSHIP
32%
PRODUCTION
16%
INCOME
19%
LEADERSHIP
35%
TIME
16%
INCOME
11%
FTF ZONE RANGPURLack of control over
use of income 19%
Discomfort in
speaking in public
15%
Lack of group
membership 17%
Lack of input in
productive decisions
11%
Lack of group
membership 19%
Lack of control over
use of income 11%
Discomfort in
speaking in public
16%
Inadequate leisure 11%

36. Similarities and Differences in disempowering
factors among men and women: FtF Zone
36
LEADERSHIP
32%
PRODUCTION
16%
INCOME
19%
LEADERSHIP
38%
TIME
25%
RESOURCES
17%
Lack of control over
use of income 19%
Lack of input in
productive decisions
11%
Discomfort in
speaking in public
15%
Lack of group
membership 17%
Insufficient access to and
decisions on credit 12%
Discomfort in speaking in
public 13%
Lack of group
membership 25%
Excessive
workload 13%
WOMEN MEN

37. Baseline Findings
• Global report released last May
2014 with findings from 13 of
the 19 countries, as well as
cross-country comparisons
• Suggestive evidence that
women’s empowerment is
strongly correlated with several
outcomes (EBF, MAD), but not
with others (WDDS, children’s
nutritional status)
37

38. Cross-country
baseline findings
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
DisempowermentIndex(1-5DE)
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
38

39. • USAID Bangladesh responded to the WEAI baseline
findings by:
– Retrofitting existing programs
– Encouraging partners to take up activities focused on
promoting women’s empowerment in the FTF zone
– Funded US$6 million worth of new programs that aim to
improve women’s empowerment in the 5 domains
• IFPRI working with the Bangladesh government
Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to orient agriculture
toward nutrition and women’s empowerment (RCT to
test alternative approaches)
What gets measured, gets done!
39

40. Presentation for the
FTF Gender Cluster Meeting
HKI, Dhaka
November 17, 2014
The Feed the Future
Zone of Influence in
Bangladesh: Changes in
Selected Indicators from
2011 Baseline to
2015 Midline
Akhter Ahmed
Ricardo Hernandez, Zeeshan Abedin,
Julie Ghostlaw, Nusrat Hossain, Wahidur
Quabili, Farha Sufian, Salauddin Tauseef
Bangladesh Policy Research and
Strategy Support Program, IFPRI
Presentation at BFS/USAID
Washington, DC
March 17, 2016

41. Created a comprehensive database
for the Feed the Future ZOI
IFPRI-PRSSP’s Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS):
the most comprehensive, nationally representative rural
household survey to date. Largest panel survey.
A part of BIHS has been designed to serve as the baseline,
midline, and endline for estimating change in a set of FTF
indicators.
BIHS sampling is statistically representative
nationally of rural Bangladesh,
rural areas for each of the 7 administrative divisions,
FTF Zone of Influence. 41

42. BIHS Baseline-Midline FTF sample
Two-round panel:
FTF baseline (Nov-Dec 2011):
2,040 HHs
FTF midline (Jan-Mar 2015):
2,017 HHs
Low attrition: 1.3%/year
Map of Bangladesh showing the survey
upazilas in the Feed the Future sampling
frame.
42

43. BIHS: Big data, big impact
Downloads of 2011/12 BIHS dataset: 600 (2013)  8,000 (now)
Diverse users across 6 continents
43

44. Change in FTF Indicators from 2011/12 to 2015:
Women’s Empowerment
in Agriculture
(updated results)
44

45. Overall WEAI results in the FTF ZOI
45
0.67
0.84
0.81
0.68
0.78
0.88 0.90
0.80
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Women's 5DE Men's 5DE GPI WEAI
Percent
2011/12 Baseline 2015 Midline
+18% +6% +11% +17%
Growth
rate

46. Remarkable improvement in women’s
empowerment status in the FTF ZOI
46
27.4
54.1
40.2
31.6
41.2
63.2
50.7
21.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Empowered
headcount
Adequacy score Women with
gender parity
Empowerment gap
Percent
2011/12 Baseline 2015 Midline

47. Men’s empowerment status improved as well
47
52.16
65.76
64.01
67.19
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Empowerment headcount Adequacy score
Percent
2011/12 Baseline 2015 Midline

48. Which domains contribute most to
disempowerment of women in the FTF zone?
2011/12 - 2015
48
1 – 5DE: 0.33 1 – 5DE: 0.22
Inadequacy in
Time, 15%
Inadequacy
in
Leadership,
34%Inadequacy in
Resources, 20%
Inadequacy in
Production, 15%
Inadequacy in
Income, 16%
2011/12 Baseline
Inadequacy in
Time, 16%
Inadequac
y in
Leadershi
p, 39%
Inadequacy in
Resources, 27%
Inadequacy in
Production,
12%
Inadequacy
in Income,
6%
2015 Midline

49. Changes in WEAI disempowerment headcount
in 10 sub-domain indicators
49
34
17
22
32
48
26
56 56
25 25
10
17
12
37
40
7
49
35
15
19
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Input in
productive
decisions
Autonomy
in
production
Ownership
of assets
Purchase,
sale or
transfer of
assets
Access to
and
decisions
on credit
Control
over use of
income
Group
member
Speaking in
public
Workload Leisure
Percent
2011/12 baseline 2019 midline

50. Conclusions
50
 Poverty has declined in the FTF ZOI by 16% from baseline to
midline. Poverty decline was more for the poorest of the poor
than those who are less poor.
 Key factors that help households move out of poverty are
education, non-farm income, women’s empowerment, access
to electricity, physical asset holding, and savings. If the size of
safety net transfer is at least 15% of income of recipient
households then safety net participation tends to prevent
households from backsliding into poverty.
 Household incomes, measured in terms of per capita
expenditures, increased in the FTF ZOI by 18%. The
magnitude of increase was much higher for the poor.
 Increased farmers’ income is positively associated with
education, mechanized irrigation, access to commercial loans,
women’s empowerment in agriculture, access to electricity,
ownership of cell phone and solar panel, as well as non-farm
income.

51. Conclusions
51
 Dietary diversity of reproductive-aged women in the FTF ZOI
shows a modest 5% increase. Women’s and children’s dietary
diversity are improving, but these areas still call for greater
attention.
 Increased dietary diversity is positively associated with
education, agricultural production diversity, women’s
empowerment in agriculture, access to electricity,
mechanized irrigation, remittances, non-farm income.
 Only 27% of women in the FTF ZOI were empowered at
baseline. In 2015, 41% in the ZOI were empowered.
Women’s empowerment in agriculture improves dietary
diversity, increases farmers’ income, and helps households
move out of poverty. Therefore, promoting women’s
empowerment should remain paramount to the FTF agenda
to attain complementary development goals.

52. Lessons from the Bangladesh experience
• Make data available early
• Regional analysis greatly increased usefulness of
the data to other organizations working outside
the FTF zone
• Encourage other users to use the data
(Bangladesh data set was the first FTF data set to
be publicly available)
• Have enough in-country support for data analysis
so that if policymakers ask for more information,
it can be provided in a timely manner
52

53. Lessons from the Bangladesh experience
• Share research results with local stakeholders early to
get feedback and to build ownership of the research
process
• But what if the results change, or are not too favorable?
– Be clear about results that are preliminary estimates
– Use sound analytical methods that can be defended
– If results aren’t “good”, look for credible reasons why—this
might be an opportunity for policy intervention.
– For example: Bangladesh had the lowest levels of overall
empowerment in the baseline. The disempowerment gaps
helped inform the design of a new pilot project for nutrition-
sensitive agriculture, with gender sensitization
• Use diagnosed gaps as a way to motivate policy change
• Take advantage of long history of policy engagement and
research in country to have a similar engagement in the
area of women’s empowerment 53

54. THANK YOU
For more information, visit the WEAI Resource Center:
http://www.ifpri.org/topic/weai-resource-center
Or contact Hazel Malapit, h.malapit@cgiar.org
Gender and Agriculture: Reviewing the evidence and the way forward
Getfam Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 June 2016