Deborah Duveskog, SLU

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Evaluating Empowerment in the Rural Small-holder
Context Lessons from East Africa

• Deborah Duveskog, SLU
• Esbern Friis-Hansen, DIIS

2
The small-holder context..

• Changing rural context
• No package solutions
• Globalised markets
• Incresed trends for
• decentralisation and demand driven services

Requires farmers that are able to take control!
3
Farmer Empowerment..

• A process that increases the capabilities of
  smallholder farmers and farmer groups to make
  choices and to influence collective decisions
  towards desired actions and outcomes on the basis
  of those choices (DANIDA 2004)

Before, if somebody asked me what I do I used to
say nothing. Now I proudly answer I am a
farmer. Kellen Wambui, Mureri FFS, Nakuru,
Kenya
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Theoretical Framework
Empowerment (Sen, Narayan, World Bank,
DANIDA)
Learning process (FFS case) Critical Consciousness Action Transformation Enhanced well-being
Opportunity structures Opportunity structures Opportunity structures Opportunity structures
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Farmer Field Schools (FFS)..
a laboratory for critical reflection
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Agro-eco System Analysis (AESA)
Observation
Analysis
Presentation
Synthesis /discussion
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AESA
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Participatory development of indicators!
Methodology

• Of 1) Well-being and of 2) Empowerment!

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Household Survey
Methodology
KEN TZN UGA
FFS graduates 301 300 300
Non-members 200 200 100

• 1. Well being ranking indicators Access to
  land, work, use of workers, animal ownership,
  house, dressing, health /medical, food security

2. Empowerment indicators Access to services,
access to markets, membership in organisations,
personal empowerment.
3. Attitude Likert Scale perception of power
to change / make decisions at household
community level
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Participatory methods..
Methodology

• Individual interview
• Focus group discussion
• Visual tools

Qual Quant
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Attitudes....
Methodology

• I have a clear plan for how to improve my farm!
• When I talk other farmers take my ideas serious!
• In my village other people recognise me as
  somebody important!
• Attending community meetings is a waste of time!
• I am proud of being farmer!
• I believe that I can change my life to the better!

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Statistical Analysis (SPSS)
Results
Factor Analysis of Attitude Questions
Household decision making capacity Decision on farming activities and practices Decision on household expenditure
Gender equity and trust Men and Women are equally involved in leadership in the village Conflicts between man and wife in the HH rare Trust people in groups in matters related to lending money
Power to influence community Part of the decision-making process for community action You can make this village a better place to live
Individual agency and control Have power to make important decisions Help friends and neighbours in unfortunate situations
Trust in local authorities Trust local government officials and politicians
Extraction Method Principal Component Analysis
Rotation Method Equamax with Kaiser
Normalization
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Results
Empowerment Factors FFS membership
Kenya Tanzania Uganda
HH decision making capacity NA
Gender and trust
Individual agency and control
Trust in authorities NA NA
Power to influence community
Extraction Method Principal Component Analysis
Rotation Method Equamax with Kaiser
Normalization
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Statistical Analysis (SPSS)
Results
Link between FFS participation and empowerment

• Indication of significance (CreamérsV) p lt
  0.01 p lt .005 p lt .001

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Qualitative scope
Results

• Output themes of individual and group interviews

Farming Decisions
Relation to service providers
Leadership
Power / Part of decision making
Community relations trust
Local Organisation
View of future..
Gender relations
Challenging traditions
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Conclusions

• Content
• Link between FFS and empowerment
• Need to unpack the term empowerment

• Methodology
• Quant. on empowerment possible!
• but in combination with Qual.
• Merge perceptions more direct expressions of
  emp.
• Difficult to understand critical consciousness
• Mutual learning process

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Thanks!

• Esbern Friis Hansen efh_at_diis.dk
• Deborah Duveskog (deborah.duveskog_at_gmail.com)
• http//farmerfieldschools.net