Effectiveness Of Pro-Poor Agro-Enterprise Development Strategies Used In Women Empowerment In Kilifi County, Kenya

Abstract

Using an indigenous chicken R&D project implemented in Kilifi County, this study purposed to investigate using the women empowerment in agriculture index the synergies that exist between economic opportunities; empowerment and individual rights among farmers in the development of the IC value chain. The study objectives were: To assess the extent to which input into decision-making over productive activities contributed to women empowerment, to determine the extent to which women access to productive resources contributed to women empowerment, to establish the extent to which adequacy and management of women income contributed to women empowerment, to assess the extent to which access to leadership roles influenced women empowerment and to determine the extent to which time allocation between workload and leisure contributed to women empowerment. The evaluation employed quantitative (questionnaire survey) method to analyze projects performances in the arena of women’s rights and the extent to which their economic empowerment initiatives empower women. The study found that there were significant relationships between the five domain of empowerment and women empowerment in Kilifi County. The researcher concluded that for women, policy-makers and programs must address the three dimensions that contributed most to dis empowerment which were leadership, resources, and income. As a way of ensuring women empowerment in agro-enterprise development initiatives, the researcher recommended that development agencies should target the indicators that are most dis empowering in the five domains of empowerment.