14 pages., via online journal,, Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women's self‐help group (SHG) platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women's empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross‐sectional data on close to 1,000 women from five states in India and employ nearest‐neighbor matching models to match SHG and non‐SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women's access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women's domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women's participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C37036
Notes:
Pages 165-187 in Bill Vitek and Wes Jackson (eds.), The virtues of ignorance: complexity, sustainability and the limits of knowledge. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington. 354 pages.
Saupe, William E. (author), Streeter, Deborah (author), and Grawunder, Atos F. (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1983
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C17328
Notes:
A paper presented at the 18th International Conference of Agricultural Economists., Pages 209-214 in Bruce L. Greenshields and Margot A. Bellamy (eds), Rural development: growth and equity. International Association of Agricultural Economists Occasional Paper No. 3. Gower Publishing Company Limited, England. 312 pages.
Ray, Howard E. (author / Vice President and Director of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Academy for Educational Development) and Vice President and Director of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Academy for Educational Development
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1988
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 69 Document Number: C02924
