Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

Kaela Connors; Lindsay M. Jaacks; Ananya Awasthi; Karoline Becker; Rachel Bezner Kerr; Emily Fivian; Aulo Gelli; Helen Harris-Fry; Jessica Heckert; Suneetha Kadiyala; Elena Martinez; Marianne V. Santoso; Sera L. Young; Lilia Bliznashka

doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0

Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

Kaela Connors, Lindsay M. Jaacks, Ananya Awasthi, Karoline Becker, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Emily Fivian, Aulo Gelli, Helen Harris-Fry, Jessica Heckert, Suneetha Kadiyala, Elena Martinez, Marianne V. Santoso, Sera L. Young, Lilia Bliznashka^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Anthropology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Bolstering farm-level crop diversity is one strategy to strengthen food system resilience and achieve global food security. Women who live in rural areas play an essential role in food production; therefore, we aimed to assess the associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity. Methods: In this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, we used data from four cluster-randomised controlled trials done in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania. We assessed women's empowerment using indicators from the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Farm-level crop diversity measures were the number of food crops grown, number of food groups grown, and if nutrient-dense crops were grown. We used a two-stage modelling approach. First, we analysed covariate-adjusted country-specific associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity indicators using multivariable generalised linear models. Second, we pooled country-specific associations using random-effects models. Findings: The final analytic sample included 1735 women from Burkina Faso, 4450 women from India, 547 women from Malawi, and 574 women from Tanzania. Across all countries, compared with households in which women provided input into fewer productive decisions, households of women with greater input into productive decisions produced more food crops (mean difference 0·36 [95% CI 0·16–0·55]), a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·16 [0·06–0·25]), and more nutrient-dense crops (percentage point difference 3 [95% CI 3–4]). Across all countries, each additional community group a woman actively participated in was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·20 [0·04–0·35]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·11 [0·03–0·18]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. In pooled associations from Burkina Faso and India, asset ownership was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·08 [0·04–0·12]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·05 [0·04–0·07]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. Interpretation: Greater women's empowerment was associated with higher farm-level crop diversity among low-income agricultural households, suggesting that it could help enhance efforts to strengthen food system resilience. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	e558-e569
Journal	The Lancet Planetary Health
Volume	7
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0
State	Published - Jul 2023

Funding

We thank the investigators and research teams for sharing secondary data from their respective trials and for supporting this important work. We also express gratitude to the data collection teams, respondents, and everyone who contributed to making these data available to us. We also would like to thank Agnes Quisumbing, Hazel Malapit, Greg Seymour, Simone Faas, and Flor Paz for providing technical insight regarding the harmonisation of the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. We thank Divya Veluguri for providing comments on the theory of change. This secondary analysis was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The Burkina Faso study received funding from the BMGF and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. The India study was funded by the BMGF, UK AID, and the US Agency for International Development. The Malawi study was funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development. The Tanzanian study was funded by the Collaborative Crop Program of the McKnight Foundation and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future of Cornell University. We thank the investigators and research teams for sharing secondary data from their respective trials and for supporting this important work. We also express gratitude to the data collection teams, respondents, and everyone who contributed to making these data available to us. We also would like to thank Agnes Quisumbing, Hazel Malapit, Greg Seymour, Simone Faas, and Flor Paz for providing technical insight regarding the harmonisation of the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. We thank Divya Veluguri for providing comments on the theory of change. This secondary analysis was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The Burkina Faso study received funding from the BMGF and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. The India study was funded by the BMGF, UK AID, and the US Agency for International Development. The Malawi study was funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development. The Tanzanian study was funded by the Collaborative Crop Program of the McKnight Foundation and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future of Cornell University.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine (miscellaneous)
Health(social science)
Health Policy
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0

Cite this

Connors, K., Jaacks, L. M., Awasthi, A., Becker, K., Bezner Kerr, R., Fivian, E., Gelli, A., Harris-Fry, H., Heckert, J., Kadiyala, S., Martinez, E., Santoso, M. V., Young, S. L., & Bliznashka, L. (2023). Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(7), e558-e569. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0

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title = "Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data",

abstract = "Background: Bolstering farm-level crop diversity is one strategy to strengthen food system resilience and achieve global food security. Women who live in rural areas play an essential role in food production; therefore, we aimed to assess the associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity. Methods: In this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, we used data from four cluster-randomised controlled trials done in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania. We assessed women's empowerment using indicators from the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Farm-level crop diversity measures were the number of food crops grown, number of food groups grown, and if nutrient-dense crops were grown. We used a two-stage modelling approach. First, we analysed covariate-adjusted country-specific associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity indicators using multivariable generalised linear models. Second, we pooled country-specific associations using random-effects models. Findings: The final analytic sample included 1735 women from Burkina Faso, 4450 women from India, 547 women from Malawi, and 574 women from Tanzania. Across all countries, compared with households in which women provided input into fewer productive decisions, households of women with greater input into productive decisions produced more food crops (mean difference 0·36 [95% CI 0·16–0·55]), a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·16 [0·06–0·25]), and more nutrient-dense crops (percentage point difference 3 [95% CI 3–4]). Across all countries, each additional community group a woman actively participated in was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·20 [0·04–0·35]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·11 [0·03–0·18]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. In pooled associations from Burkina Faso and India, asset ownership was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·08 [0·04–0·12]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·05 [0·04–0·07]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. Interpretation: Greater women's empowerment was associated with higher farm-level crop diversity among low-income agricultural households, suggesting that it could help enhance efforts to strengthen food system resilience. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.",

author = "Kaela Connors and Jaacks, {Lindsay M.} and Ananya Awasthi and Karoline Becker and {Bezner Kerr}, Rachel and Emily Fivian and Aulo Gelli and Helen Harris-Fry and Jessica Heckert and Suneetha Kadiyala and Elena Martinez and Santoso, {Marianne V.} and Young, {Sera L.} and Lilia Bliznashka",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license",

year = "2023",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0",

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Connors, K, Jaacks, LM, Awasthi, A, Becker, K, Bezner Kerr, R, Fivian, E, Gelli, A, Harris-Fry, H, Heckert, J, Kadiyala, S, Martinez, E, Santoso, MV, Young, SL & Bliznashka, L 2023, 'Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data', The Lancet Planetary Health, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. e558-e569. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00125-0

TY - JOUR

T1 - Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania

T2 - a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

AU - Connors, Kaela

AU - Jaacks, Lindsay M.

AU - Awasthi, Ananya

AU - Becker, Karoline

AU - Bezner Kerr, Rachel

AU - Fivian, Emily

AU - Gelli, Aulo

AU - Harris-Fry, Helen

AU - Heckert, Jessica

AU - Kadiyala, Suneetha

AU - Martinez, Elena

AU - Santoso, Marianne V.

AU - Young, Sera L.

AU - Bliznashka, Lilia

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - Background: Bolstering farm-level crop diversity is one strategy to strengthen food system resilience and achieve global food security. Women who live in rural areas play an essential role in food production; therefore, we aimed to assess the associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity. Methods: In this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, we used data from four cluster-randomised controlled trials done in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania. We assessed women's empowerment using indicators from the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Farm-level crop diversity measures were the number of food crops grown, number of food groups grown, and if nutrient-dense crops were grown. We used a two-stage modelling approach. First, we analysed covariate-adjusted country-specific associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity indicators using multivariable generalised linear models. Second, we pooled country-specific associations using random-effects models. Findings: The final analytic sample included 1735 women from Burkina Faso, 4450 women from India, 547 women from Malawi, and 574 women from Tanzania. Across all countries, compared with households in which women provided input into fewer productive decisions, households of women with greater input into productive decisions produced more food crops (mean difference 0·36 [95% CI 0·16–0·55]), a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·16 [0·06–0·25]), and more nutrient-dense crops (percentage point difference 3 [95% CI 3–4]). Across all countries, each additional community group a woman actively participated in was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·20 [0·04–0·35]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·11 [0·03–0·18]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. In pooled associations from Burkina Faso and India, asset ownership was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·08 [0·04–0·12]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·05 [0·04–0·07]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. Interpretation: Greater women's empowerment was associated with higher farm-level crop diversity among low-income agricultural households, suggesting that it could help enhance efforts to strengthen food system resilience. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

AB - Background: Bolstering farm-level crop diversity is one strategy to strengthen food system resilience and achieve global food security. Women who live in rural areas play an essential role in food production; therefore, we aimed to assess the associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity. Methods: In this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, we used data from four cluster-randomised controlled trials done in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania. We assessed women's empowerment using indicators from the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Farm-level crop diversity measures were the number of food crops grown, number of food groups grown, and if nutrient-dense crops were grown. We used a two-stage modelling approach. First, we analysed covariate-adjusted country-specific associations between women's empowerment and crop diversity indicators using multivariable generalised linear models. Second, we pooled country-specific associations using random-effects models. Findings: The final analytic sample included 1735 women from Burkina Faso, 4450 women from India, 547 women from Malawi, and 574 women from Tanzania. Across all countries, compared with households in which women provided input into fewer productive decisions, households of women with greater input into productive decisions produced more food crops (mean difference 0·36 [95% CI 0·16–0·55]), a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·16 [0·06–0·25]), and more nutrient-dense crops (percentage point difference 3 [95% CI 3–4]). Across all countries, each additional community group a woman actively participated in was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·20 [0·04–0·35]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·11 [0·03–0·18]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. In pooled associations from Burkina Faso and India, asset ownership was associated with cultivating a higher number of food crops (mean difference 0·08 [0·04–0·12]) and a higher number of food groups (mean difference 0·05 [0·04–0·07]), but not more nutrient-dense crops. Interpretation: Greater women's empowerment was associated with higher farm-level crop diversity among low-income agricultural households, suggesting that it could help enhance efforts to strengthen food system resilience. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Women's empowerment, production choices, and crop diversity in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania: a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

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UN SDGs

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