Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice

This research was undertaken as part of the Women Improving Nutrition through Group-based Strategies (WINGS) study, and was aimed at understanding ways to improve agricultural practices among women farmers in India. Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmer...

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Autores principales: Raghunathan, Kalyani, Kannan, Samyuktha, Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146123
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author Raghunathan, Kalyani
Kannan, Samyuktha
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
author_browse Kannan, Samyuktha
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Raghunathan, Kalyani
author_facet Raghunathan, Kalyani
Kannan, Samyuktha
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
author_sort Raghunathan, Kalyani
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This research was undertaken as part of the Women Improving Nutrition through Group-based Strategies (WINGS) study, and was aimed at understanding ways to improve agricultural practices among women farmers in India. Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women’s self-help group platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women’s empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross-sectional data on close to 1000 women from 5 states in India, and employ nearest-neighbor matching models to match self-help group (SHG) and non-SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women’s access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women’s domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women’s participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice.
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spelling CGSpace1461232025-11-06T06:56:49Z Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice Raghunathan, Kalyani Kannan, Samyuktha Quisumbing, Agnes R. women's empowerment agricultural practices agricultural extension self-help empowerment agriculture self-help groups information access to information women This research was undertaken as part of the Women Improving Nutrition through Group-based Strategies (WINGS) study, and was aimed at understanding ways to improve agricultural practices among women farmers in India. Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women’s self-help group platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women’s empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross-sectional data on close to 1000 women from 5 states in India, and employ nearest-neighbor matching models to match self-help group (SHG) and non-SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women’s access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women’s domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women’s participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice. 2018-06-29 2024-06-21T09:05:53Z 2024-06-21T09:05:53Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146123 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Raghunathan, Kalyani; Kannan, Samyuktha; and Quisumbing, Agnes R. 2018. Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1735. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146123
spellingShingle women's empowerment
agricultural practices
agricultural extension
self-help
empowerment
agriculture
self-help groups
information
access to information
women
Raghunathan, Kalyani
Kannan, Samyuktha
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title_full Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title_fullStr Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title_full_unstemmed Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title_short Women's self-help groups, decision-making, and improved agricultural practices in India: From extension to practice
title_sort women s self help groups decision making and improved agricultural practices in india from extension to practice
topic women's empowerment
agricultural practices
agricultural extension
self-help
empowerment
agriculture
self-help groups
information
access to information
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146123
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