Raising aspirations is one way of empowering women in agriculture

Abstract

Higher aspirations are a crucial indicator of rural women’s empowerment, and essential to their well-being. Policy or development strategies and interventions that raise aspirations can empower women. – Aspirations inuence short- and medium-term decisions and have a role in people’s choices about agricultural inputs and investments—and therefore productivity and protability. – These present a high-potential and low-cost way to alter gender and social norms and family roles, putting them on the path to becoming leaders in agriculture, and contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture and rural communities. – If aspiration failure among rural communities is not addressed in a timely manner, this might be partly responsible for the failure to empower women.