Gender, assets, and agricultural development
This article (PDF) in the World Development Journal elaborates on how ownership of assets by women could positively influence the development outcomes at the household and individual levels. The research draws lessons out of eight mix-methods projects that evaluated the impacts of agricultural development projects on individual and household assets. The projects were done in seven countries in Africa and South Asia. The results show that assets both affect and are affected by projects, indicating that it is both feasible and important to consider assets in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects. All projects were associated with increases in asset levels and other benefits at the household level; however, only four projects documented significant, positive impacts on women’s ownership or control of some types of assets relative to a control group. Of those projects only one project provided evidence of a reduction in the gender asset gap. The quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that greater attention to gender and assets by researchers and development practitioners could improve outcomes for women in future projects.