Wellbeing Futures: Innovation, Policy and Research

Vol. 2 (2026)
Articles

From Practice to Impact: Women Leading Watershed Restoration Efforts

PDF
  • Annah Amani,
  • Julie Richards,
  • Elena McCollim,
  • Taylore Maxcy,
  • Dave Luebkeman,
  • Robert Morikawa
Annah Amani
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Social Work, The State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY USA
Julie Richards
Professor, Department of Social Work, The State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY USA
Elena McCollim
Acting Director of Private Grants, Father Joe's Villages, USA
Taylore Maxcy
Information Management Systems Officer, Plant With Purpose, USA
Dave Luebkeman
Remote Sensing & Impact Consultant, USA
Robert Morikawa
Senior Associate of Innovation and Research, Plant With Purpose, Canada

Published 2026-09-09

Keywords

  • Regenerative Agriculture,
  • Gender,
  • Social Cohesion,
  • Poverty Alleviation
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

From Practice to Impact: Women Leading Watershed Restoration Efforts . (2026). Wellbeing Futures: Innovation, Policy and Research, 2, 22-35. https://doi.org/10.65638/2978-882X.2026.02.03

Abstract

Rural female farmers produce 50% to 80% of the world’s food, yet they often gain fewer benefits from agricultural extension programs compared to men. This study examined a rural development program focused on three areas: economic empowerment through village savings associations, environmental restoration via regenerative agriculture training, and “spiritual renewal” to enhance participants’ agency and mutual aid. The research evaluated its impact on multidimensional poverty among smallholder farmers in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, using an adapted index (Alkire & Santos, 2014). Results showed that women benefited significantly from the program, experiencing even greater positive changes than men in all three areas. This highlights the importance of tailored interventions that address the specific needs of female farmers, ensuring they receive equitable support and resources in agriculture.

PDF

References

  1. Acosta, M., Van Bommel, S., Van Wessel, M., Ampaire, E. L., Jassogne, L., & Feindt, P. H. (2019). Discursive translations of gender mainstreaming norms: The case of agricultural and climate change policies in Uganda. Women’s Studies International Forum, 74, 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2019.02.010
  2. Adegbite, O. O., & Machethe, C. L. (2020). Bridging the financial inclusion gender gap in smallholder agriculture in Nigeria: An untapped potential for sustainable development. World Development, 127, 104755.
  3. Alam, M.H. (2023). Grameen Bank as an Economic Stabilizer for the Rural Banking Sector in Bangladesh. In Embracing Business Sustainability Through Innovation and Creativity in the Service Sector (pp. 1-13). IGI Global.
  4. Alkire, S., Meinzen-Dick, R., Peterman, A., Quisumbing, A. R., Seymour, G., & Vaz, A. (2013). The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index.
  5. Alkire, S., & Santos, M. E. (2014). Measuring Acute Poverty in the Developing World: Robustness and Scope of the Multidimensional Poverty Index. World Development, 59, 251-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.01.026
  6. Allen, H., & Hobane, P. (2004). Impact Evaluation of Kupfuma Ishungu, February 2004 [Evaluation]. CARE. https://www.careevaluations.org/wp-content/uploads/evaluations/zwe-kupfuma-ishungu-impact-eval-feb-04.pdf
  7. Anderson, C. L., Reynolds, T. W., Biscaye, P., Patwardhan, V., & Schmidt, C. (2020). Economic Benefits of Empowering Women in Agriculture: Assumptions and Evidence. The Journal of Development Studies, 57(2), 193-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2020.1769071
  8. Andriamahery, A., & Qamruzzaman, M. (2022). Do access to finance, technical know-how, and financial literacy offer women empowerment through women’s entrepreneurial development? Frontiers in psychology, 12, 776844.
  9. Aziz, N., He, J., Raza, A., & Sui, H. (2022). A systematic review of review studies on women’s empowerment and food security literature. Global Food Security, 34, 100647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100647
  10. Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Glennerster R., & Kinnan C. (2015) The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 7, no. 1 (January 2015): 22-53. © American Economic Association.
  11. Batliwala, S. (2007). Taking the power out of empowerment - an experiential account. Development in Practice, 17(4-5), 557-565. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452701469559.
  12. Botreau, H., & Cohen, M. J. (2020). Gender inequality and food insecurity: A dozen years after the food price crisis, rural women still bear the brunt of poverty and hunger. In Advances in Food Security and Sustainability (Vol. 5, pp. 53-117). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.af2s.2020.09.001
  13. Buehren,N. (2023). Gender and Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Constraints and Effective Interventions. Gender Innovation Lab, World Bank, Washington, DC.
  14. Burchi, F., Loewe, M., Malerba, D., and Leininger, J. (2022). Disentangling the relationship between social protection and social cohesion: Introduction to the special issue. European Journal of Development Research, 34(3), 1195-1215.
  15. Cohen, M.J., & Lemma, M. (2011) Agricultural extension services and gender equality, International Food Policy Research Institute Discussion Paper, 1094, 1-44.
  16. Doss, C. R., & Morris, M. L. (2000). How does gender affect the adoption of agricultural innovations? Agricultural Economics, 25(1), 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-0862.2001.tb00233.x
  17. Duffy, C., Toth, G., Cullinan, J., Murray, U., & Spillane, C. (2020). Climate smart agriculture extension: Gender disparities in agroforestry knowledge acquisition. Climate and Development, 13(1), 21-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1715912
  18. Duflo, E., Banerjee, A., Glennerster, R., & Kinnan, C. G. (2013). The Miracle of Microfiinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation (Working Paper Working Paper 18950; pp. 1-37). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18950/w18950.pdf
  19. FAO (Ed.). (2011). Women in agriculture: Closing the gender gap for development. FAO.
  20. FAO. (2023). Women produce up to 80% of food in developing countries. https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1634537/
  21. Feinberg, A., Ghorbani, A., & Herder, P. M. (2020). Commoning toward urban resilience: The role of trust, social cohesion, and involvement in a simulated urban commons setting. Journal of Urban Affairs, 45(2), 142-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2020.1851139
  22. Gupta, G. R., Grown, C., Fewer, S., Gupta, R., & Nowrojee, S. (2023). Beyond gender mainstreaming: Transforming humanitarian action, organizations and culture. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 8(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-023- 00138-1
  23. Guthridge, M., Kirkman, M., Penovic, T.& Giummarra, MJ. (2022) Promoting Gender Equality: A Systematic Review of Interventions. Soc Just Res 35, 318-343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-022-00398-z
  24. Huyer, S. (2016). Closing the Gender Gap in Agriculture. Gender, Technology and Development, 20(2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971852416643872
  25. IFPRI, 2011. Gender, Assets, and Agricultural Development Programs: A Conceptual Framework. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.2499/CAPRiWP99
  26. International Food Policy Research Institute, (2018, April 27). Introducing Pro-WEAI: A tool for measuring women’s empowerment in agricultural development projects. https://weai.ifpri.info/2018/04/27/introducing-pro-weai-a-tool-for-measuring-womens-empowerment-in-agricultural-development-projects/#:~:text=Pro%2DWEAI%20combines%20the%203DE,the%20men%20in%20their%20households.&text=How%20is%20pro%2DWEAI%20different%20from%20WEAI%3F
  27. Issahaku, G., Abdul-Rahaman, A., & Amikuzuno, J. (2021). Climate change adaptation strategies, farm performance and poverty reduction among smallholder farming households in Ghana. Climate and Development, 13(8), 736-747. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1860884
  28. Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Empowerment. Development & Change: 33(3): 435-464. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-7660.00125
  29. Kaiser, E.T., Thongdi, B., Pawkham, J., Satre, D., Watt, J., Morikawa, R., 2018. Healthy Forest, Healthy People II: Remote Sensing and Community Networks Extend the Benefits of Community Forestry in Thailand, in: 2018 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC). Presented at the 2018 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2018.8601904
  30. Karlan, D., Savonitto, B., Thuysbaert, B., & Udry, C. (2017). Impact of savings groups on the lives of the poor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(12), 3079-3084. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611520114
  31. Lambrecht, I., Vanlauwe, B., & Maertens, M. (2016). Agricultural extension in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: Does gender matter? European Review of Agricultural Economics, 43(5), 841-874. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbv039
  32. Lau, J.D., Kleiber, D., Lawless, S. & Cohen PJ. (2021) Gender equality in climate policy and practice hindered by assumptions. Nat. Clim. Chang. 11, 186-192. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-00999-7
  33. Malapit, H., Quisumbing, A., Meinzen-Dick, R., Seymour, G., Martinez, E. M., Heckert, J., Rubin, D., Vaz, A., & Yount, K. M. (2019). Development of the project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI). World Development, 122, 675-692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.06.018
  34. McCarthy, A. S., & Krause, B. (2024). Age and Agency: Evidence from a Women’s Empowerment Program in Tanzania. World Development, 178, 106591.
  35. McGuire, E., Rietveld, A. M., Crump, A., & Leeuwis, C. (2022). Anticipating gender impacts in scaling innovations for agriculture: Insights from the literature. World Development Perspectives, 25, 100386.
  36. Milward, K., Mukhopadhyay, M., & Wong, F. F. (2015). Gender Mainstreaming Critiques: Signposts or Dead Ends? IDS Bulletin, 46(4), 75-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/1759-5436.12160
  37. Moser, C., & Moser, A. (2005). Gender mainstreaming since Beijing: A review of success and limitations in international institutions. Gender in Development, 13(2), 11-22.
  38. Mukhopadhyay, M., Steehouwer, G., & Wong, F. (2006). Politics of the Possible: Gender mainstreaming an organisational change: Experiences from the field. Oxfam.
  39. Mutengwa, C. S., Mnkeni, P., & Kondwakwenda, A. (2023). Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security in Southern Africa: A Review of the Vulnerability of Smallholder Agriculture and Food Security to Climate Change. Sustainability, 15(4), 2882. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042882
  40. Nyasimi, M., & Huyer, S. (2017). Closing the gender gap in agriculture under climate change. Agriculture for Development, 30, 37-40.
  41. Quisumbing, A., Cole, S., Elias, M., Faas, S., Galiè, A., Malapit, H., Meinzen-Dick, R., Myers, E., Seymour, G., & Twyman, J. (2023). Measuring Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture: Innovations and evidence. Global Food Security, 38, 100707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2023.100707
  42. Peterman, A., Quisumbing, A., Behrman, J., & Nkonya, E. (2011). Understanding the Complexities Surrounding Gender Differences in Agricultural Productivity in Nigeria and Uganda. Journal of Development Studies, 47(10), 1482-1509. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2010.536222
  43. Peterson, N. A., Hughey, J. (2004) Social cohesion and intrapersonal empowerment: gender as moderator, Health Education Research, 19(5), 533-542. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg057
  44. R Core Team (2024). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL http://www.R-project.org/.
  45. Roggeband, C. (2014). Gender Mainstreaming in Dutch Development Cooperation: The Dialectics of Progress: Gender Mainstreaming Dutch Development. Journal of International Development, 26(3), 332-344. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.2952
  46. Rowlands, J. (1997). Questioning empowerment: Working with women in Honduras. Oxfam: Humanities Press International.
  47. Sabin, S., Amani, A., Paraison, G., Brito, D.L., Vergara, M.M., Santos, G.F., Chin, C., Morikawa, R., 2022. Smallholder farmer resilience: a multi-year multidimensional study in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Trees For. People 7, 100189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100189
  48. Sabin, S., Dieudonne, B., Mitchell, J., White, J., Chin, C., and Morikawa, R. (2019). Community-Based Watershed Change: A Case Study in Eastern Congo. Forests 10, 475. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10060475
  49. Sheahan, M., Barrett, C. B., & Sheahan, M. B. (2014). Understanding the agricultural input landscape in sub-Saharan Africa: Recent plot, household, and community-level evidence. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (7014).
  50. Steinert, J. I., Zenker, J., Filipiak, U., Movsisyan, A., Cluver, L. D., & Shenderovich, Y. (2018). Do saving promotion interventions increase household savings, consumption, and investments in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Development, 104, 238-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.11.018
  51. Takeshima, H. (2024). Agricultural mechanisation and gendered labour activities across sectors: Micro‐evidence from multi‐country farm household data. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 75(1), 425-456.
  52. Tambo, JA, Matimelo, M, Ndhlovu, M, Mbugua F & Phiri N. (2021) Gender-differentiated impacts of plant clinics on maize productivity and food security: Evidence from Zambia. World Development. 145(Sept). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X21001315?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=8bd72a929a29ab42
  53. Teklewold, H. (2023). Understanding gender differences on the choices of a portfolio of climate-smart agricultural practices in sub-Saharan Africa. World Development Perspectives, 29, 100486.
  54. Tsige, M., Synnevåg, G. & Aune, J.B. (2024) Exploring effects of climate-smart agriculture innovations on women smallholders’ livelihoods in Ethiopia. Environ Dev Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05070-x
  55. United Nations (2016). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A/RES/70/1. UN Women (1995). Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action/Beijing +5 Political Declaration and Outcome. New York: United Nations.
  56. UN Women, World Bank Group, & UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative. (2015). The Cost of the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity (100234; p. III-29). https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/9723718e-539b-5460- 80ad-aa9907a6bbc5/content
  57. UN Women (2024). World Conferences on Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/intergovernmental-support/world-conferences-on-women#:~:text=The%20Beijing%20Declaration%20and%20the,policy%20document%20on%20gender%20equality.
  58. UN (2023). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
  59. World Bank (2012). World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development. World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4391 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
  60. World Economic Forum, 2022. Smallholder farmers key to achieving global food security [WWW Document]. World Econ. Forum. URL https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/smallholder-farmers-key-achieving-food-security/ (accessed 6.11.24).
  61. Wudil AH, Usman M, Rosak-Szyrocka J, Pilař L, and Boye M. (2022) Reversing Years for Global Food Security: A Review of the Food Security Situation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Int J Environ Res Public Health. 19(22): 14836. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214836.