Participatory measurement of norm transformation towards building inclusive agri-food systems: Evidence from Northern Ghana

Abstract

The study assessed behavioral change among women livestock keepers, their spouses and community members with a comparison of changes in a set of villages that participated in a gender-transformative approach (GTA) against a set of villages that participated in a gender accommodative approach (GAA). Both approaches were applied to a technology-enhanced livestock vaccine delivery system for chicken and goats in two districts in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The outcome mapping approach was applied, and progress markers were developed by men and women to describe gradual progression of changes in behavior leading to the ideal outcome of women’s empowerment in five categories: gender division of labor and workload sharing; intrahousehold negotiation, communication and decision-making; control of income, productive assets and resources; self-confidence, autonomy and leadership; and intimacy, and harmony in relationships. Qualitative data was collected through 16 focus group discussions in four GTA and four GAA villages. Villages were purposively sampled to reflect diversity in ethnicity, religion, and proximity to urban areas. The findings reveal both men and women in GTA villages reported positive progress in behavioral changes compared to men and women from GAA villages. 70% of women in GTA villages reported requesting support from spouses compared to 31% in GAA. In GTA villages, 50% of men reported supporting the need to ease restriction on sale of livestock by women, while 100% of men in GAA villages reported wanting the restriction to be enforced. Involvement of participants in defining the path toward a shared vision of empowerment supports measurement of incremental progress and ownership of the process, and enables implementors take action to address reported challenges.