Participatory Development Methods Promote Gender Equity and Improve Outcomes in Rural Africa
In developing countries, women make up 80% of the agricultural work force and over 25% of the business sector (UNIDO, 2003). Despite this contribution, women are often excluded from entrepreneurial planning processes. Barriers include low education levels, poor access to market information, weak linkages to support services, and negative attitudes of women’s participation in the marketplace (Kantor, 2001; OECD, 2004). Increasingly, research suggests that socio-economic development can be more positively impacted when women are involved (Agrawal & Chhatre, 2006; Ostrom, 1990).
The Ambalabe Planning Project worked with two women’s associations in a rural village of eastern Madagascar. One association (experiment) identified and designed a project, sought funds, and implemented it themselves through a participatory development process, while the other association (control) was given start-up funds to implement a project pre-determined and designed by the funder. This qualitative study seeks to compare both approaches to project design and implementation. Effectiveness of participatory development strategies and contributions to the inclusion of women in project planning processes along with individual and collective socio-economic outcomes among association members are examined.
Methods:
Participatory strategies implemented with the experiment association included social mapping, institutional diagramming, and visioning and project planning matrices. Association members identified development goals and priorities and designed an economic development project. No participatory strategies were used with the control association. Structured interviews were conducted with members in both associations (N=32) prior to and following the participatory planning intervention to assess knowledge of project planning, perceived level of engagement and power in decision-making processes, socio-economic outcomes, and achievement of desired goals.
Results:
Results suggest multiple positive outcomes for women engaged in participatory processes compared to those who did not. Socio-economic outcomes noted by experiment association members include improvements in: work skill development and productivity, business practices such as budgeting and record keeping, agricultural participation (decisions in types of crop and division of labor), access to markets, income and consumption smoothing, along with increased control over personal finances. In addition to these individual level effects, women who engaged in the participatory process noted increased levels of cooperation and collaboration among association members that extended beyond project activities.
Comparatively, members of the control association expressed confusion about project goals, perceptions of unfair work and income distribution among members, and frustrations related to husbands’ control over time and resource allocations. Additionally, the control association did not achieve their intended goals related to skill building, market access, and income generation.
Conclusions and Implications:
Limited availability of resources for development efforts demands the need for more efficient, effective intervention strategies. Results suggest that the provision of funds alone does not necessarily yield improved outcomes. Rather, it may be more effective for social scientists to collaborate with local people to build democratic institutions that can increase gender equity and improve socio-economic outcomes. Participatory processes need to move beyond including women’s voices to building their capabilities to independently design, implement, and evaluate development efforts.