Women’s Collective Action in Agricultural Markets:

Women’s Collective Action in Agricultural Markets: International Advisory Group Meeting 5th-6th December 2012 Day 2

Key sessions • 10.00-11.30 • Case studies and communications products (Sally Smith, CarinePionetti, Naomi Makota, AboubacarTraore, RahelBekele) • 12.30-13.30 • Research recommendations (Sally Baden) • 13.45-17.15 • How can these findings inform policies, plans and programmes? (Sally Baden, Thalia Kidder) • Discussion with BMGF (Haven Ley, SuritaSandosham, Steve Jennings) • Evaluation and close (Steve Jennings)

Case studies and communications products Sally Smith, CarinePionetti, Naomi Makota, AboubacarTraore, RahelBekele

Case study themes Ethiopia Making a difference: reaching the most vulnerable households through Women’s Collective Action interventions. Mali Transformational change in the personal and social sphere: improving gender relations through Women’s Collective Action. Tanzania Building on trust: developing complementary models of Women’s Collective Action and market engagement.

Research recommendations Sally Baden

Policy and practice recommendations • S • T • R • E • N • G • T • H • S • Identifies relevant focal areas including: • men’s role, • importance of leadership, • women’s qualitative participation in governance structures, • importance of an economic empowerment plus focus…

Policy and practice recommendations • W • E • A • K • N • E • S • S • E • S • But limited specificity re interventions, esp.: • Whether and how to work with women without a strong pre-existing organising culture • How to facilitate more active participation of less empowered women (e.g. mentoring, twinning etc.) • How to complement interventions v-a-v formal groups and pre-existing informal CA • How to develop incentive structures which actively encourage gender-responsive leadership • What a sustainable approach to CA support would entail so as to prevent reversals • Good practice examples from this study and others to illustrate recommendations

PLEASE TAKE 5 MINS TO THINK AND TYPE IN YOUR THOUGHTS ON CHAT FOR EVERYBODY (PICK ONE AREA/ RECOMMENDATION) • How can the recommendations be made more specific and/or targeted? • What other issues are emerging which you think imply other recommendations. FOR WCA RESEARCHERS • Are the recommendations well substantiated by the findings? If not how can they be strengthened (BE SPECIFIC)

What are the most interesting issues for further research? • Do we have the right balance between policy and practice and /or other targets (e.g. private sector….)?

How can these findings inform our policies, plans and programmes? Sally Baden, Thalia Kidder

How will your organisation use findings and recommendations and influence others?(1) • Working in ‘development programmes’ • In countries, our initiatives working on agriculture, markets… • How will WCA findings be incorporated? • Which findings? • Which processes? • What allies/partners and others might you influence • Do you need any support to make this happen? • Care? Oxfam Ireland? Oxfam America? Rahel? Aboubacar? Hugo and EDP? Others…

How will your organisation use findings and recommendations and influence others?(2) • Working in ‘advocacy’ • In countries, our initiatives working to influence government and private sector policy… • How might WCA recommendations be used in your advocacy? • Which recommendations? • Which processes? • Who do you aim to influence? • Do you need any support to make this happen? • Please chat in, and raise your hand to speak

How will your organisation use findings and recommendations and influence others?(3) • Working in ‘advocacy’ • Internationally our advocacy… • How might WCA recommendations be used in international advocacy? • Which recommendations? • Which processes? • Who do you aim to influence? • Do you need any support to make this happen? • Please chat in, and raise your hand to speak

How will your organisation use WCA to influence research?(4) • Working in ‘research’ • Internationally or nationally, what research agendas or institutions … • What will you use? • Which processes? • Who do you aim to influence? • Do you need any support to make this happen? • Please chat in, and raise your hand to speak

Discussion with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Haven Ley, SuritaSandosham, Steve Jennings

Summary of our work over these two days • Key conclusions and next steps • Next Steps: • On Research : • Finalising synthesis paper (Table of comments) • Other outputs/ dissemination (journal article…conference presentations..) • Follow up research? • On Comms: • Finalising case studies and policy briefing • Finalising messages • Project upate • Dissemination - physical/ virtual

Reflections from BMGF Haven Ley IAG members’ questions and thoughts

Reflections on Researching Women’s Collective Action (1) What has the RWCA project contributed to the development community’s efforts on women and agriculture, on understanding collective action in markets and in development? What has been most useful and relevant for you? In what ways has the project not met your/our expectations?

Reflections on Researching Women’s Collective Action (2) • What have you or we learned about… • Research • Stakeholder involvement • Collaborating across global organisations (the IAG) • Learning • Or any other lessons…

Evaluation and close Steve Jennings

Did we meet our meeting objectives? • Understanding of research implementation and communications activities in Phase III (pre-meeting reading) • Shared understanding of significance and relevance of the findings and recommendations • Identification of; • Revisions needed on Research Findings and recommendations to improve the clarity or quality of final synthesis paper • Revisions on Main Messages and presentation of these in communications materials • Proposals on how IAG members’ organizations will use findings and recommendations, and communicate and influence others on WCA • Please rate how well we met each objective on a scale of 0-5 and tell us why in the chat box…

Thank you!

“Women smallholders in groups are earning more income than women trading alone” There are significant, quantifiable economic benefits for women who join collective action groups: One statistic? • Women produce more & their products are higher quality, so they get more income from what they sell • Collective action helps: • Women in groups have more access to credit • They have more market information, and sell to a greater range of buyers • Training and improved technology lead to higher quality and more productivity

Women with higher status are more likely to join and to benefit from CA groups. • Women members of CA groups tend to be older, in households with more wealth (land and/or livestock). • Younger and unmarried women are less likely to join groups, due to resources and time constraints … • Women from households with lower wealth are less likely to join

Empowerment from Collective Action? Women in CA have more decision-making on credit, and more freedom of movement within the village. • ‘Empowerment’ depends on context. • As compared to non-members, women in CA groups report more decision-making in households on credit than women not in groups • Membership in CA is linked to more freedom of movement beyond the household, and freedom to attend group meetings…

Empowerment from Collective Action? Two surprises…. Informal groups matter… • There’s not much effect from membership in formal groups - informal groups may be more influential in women’s empowerment , or women combining membership in informal and formal groups. Income doesn’t lead to (much) empowerment • Women in CA are earning more income, but in only 3 of 8 dimensions of empowerment are women members significantly more empowered than non-members

Group membership isn’t linked to women owning more assets • Being a member of CA isn’t linked to women’s ownership of assets or power to transfer assets • There’s a little evidence of impact that being a member of CA results in increased rights over agricultural assets.

Women in market-CA groups more involved in community leadership • Women in collective action groups report being consulted more on community and organisational decision-making, and being involved in community leadership.

Good Strategies to support Women in CA (1) • Promoting formal groups to engage in markets works better where women have experience in informal groups, and support the continuation of informal groups • Women are more likely to secure benefits when recognised as independent members and they are direct recipients of payments, training and information. • High value sub-sectors (versus staples or export commodities) are more conducive to women, where there are lower constraints due to access to land.

Good Strategies to support Women in CA (2) • Leadership matters: women and men who are inclusive and empowering to women are critical to sustain benefits for women • Quotas help women’s presence, but women leaders are needed • Women develop leadership through having women-only spaces, rotational leadership and training of women leaders. • When interventions engage men to raise awareness about the benefits of CA, women are more likely to sustain their participation • Specific strategies address younger, unmarried women from less wealthy households: • Savings mechanisms or resources to pay membership fees, or allowing women to pay fees in-kind;

More Innovations to address barriers to WCA • Ethiopian outreach strategy to existing male cooperative leaders and male community members • Women reported ‘lack of mobility’ as a barrier to engaging in markets. Interventions indirectly address mobility by ‘bringing the market - the buyers – closer to women’, and training women in marketing. However, only one example of proactive strategy to increase women’s mobility to regional/national • Although the evidence showed that women with significant household responsibilities were less likely to join; no strategies documented to address time poverty.

Women’s Collective Action in Agricultural Markets: