Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.
Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 3;19(15):9526. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159526.
To study the impacts of implementing a gender-sensitive value chain development (VCD) initiative in the agri-food sector, we conducted a mixed-methods study of a woman-owned food processing business and its associated value chain in Touba, Senegal. As a result of partnering with a USAID-funded project, the business began producing instant fortified flours, an innovative, higher-value product compared to traditional porridge, using extrusion and fortification techniques. Drawing on Senegalese women's association networks, the business connected with local women who could work as processors and retailers. Our study's goal was to explore how the project's support of this food processing value chain has affected the lives of women processors and retailers, farmers, and medical personnel along the value chain. Particularly relevant to our study is the general lack of opportunities for women to earn their own incomes in the study region, especially outside of the home, and provide for their families. Through surveys, interviews, observations, and novel participatory focus group activities, our study provides qualitative and quantitative evidence of the perceived impacts of value chain development on women's empowerment, income, and nutrition by key stakeholders in the value chain. We find an often cited barrier to women's empowerment is the husband's lack of understanding and limitations placed on women's mobility, yet we also find perceptions of women's empowerment in this conservative religious context. Our findings and discussion highlight the need for more research into VCD projects on the complex and, at times, contradictory processes of women's empowerment. The women in our study expressed a desire for freedom to work outside of the home, and they expressed a need for childcare and contraception. Notably, the women discussed positive community changes, such as infrastructure and the creation of a childcare center, that implicate women's collective empowerment. We also highlight a promising research opportunity in Senegal to explore the subnational variation in women's empowerment through VCD.
为了研究在农业食品部门实施性别敏感价值链发展倡议的影响，我们对塞内加尔图巴的一家女性拥有的食品加工企业及其相关价值链进行了一项混合方法研究。由于与美国国际开发署资助的一个项目合作，该企业开始使用挤压和强化技术生产即时强化面粉，这是一种与传统粥相比具有创新性和更高附加值的产品。该企业利用塞内加尔妇女协会网络，与可以作为加工商和零售商的当地妇女建立联系。我们的研究目的是探讨该项目对价值链中的女性加工商和零售商、农民以及医疗人员的生活产生了怎样的影响。特别与我们的研究相关的是，在研究区域，女性尤其在家庭之外几乎没有机会获得自己的收入并为家庭提供经济支持。通过调查、访谈、观察和新颖的参与式焦点小组活动，我们的研究提供了价值链发展对价值链中关键利益相关者的妇女赋权、收入和营养的定性和定量证据。我们发现，妇女赋权的一个经常被提到的障碍是丈夫缺乏理解和对妇女行动自由的限制，但我们也发现了在这种保守的宗教背景下对妇女赋权的看法。我们的研究结果和讨论强调了需要对价值链发展项目进行更多的研究，以了解妇女赋权的复杂和有时相互矛盾的过程。我们研究中的女性表示希望能够自由地在家庭之外工作，并且她们需要儿童保育和避孕措施。值得注意的是，这些女性讨论了积极的社区变化，如基础设施和儿童保育中心的建立，这些变化暗示了妇女的集体赋权。我们还强调了在塞内加尔探索通过价值链发展实现妇女赋权的次国家差异的一个有前途的研究机会。
