TY - JOUR
T1 - Does linking women farmers to markets improve food security? Evidence from rural Bangladesh
AU - Lee, Han Bum
AU - McNamara, Paul E.
AU - Bhattacharyya, Kamal
N1 - Our research was funded in part by the USAID-funded INGENAES Project led by the University of Illinois (AID-OAA-LA-14-00008), as well as with funds from University of Illinois and CRS.
This research was supported by the USAID-funded Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) projects, as well as by internal funds from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Caritas Bangladesh (CB), and the University of Illinois. These sources of support are gratefully acknowledged. We also deeply appreciate the on the ground assistance of Caritas field staff and private enumerators who assisted with collecting field data. Furthermore, we acknowledge the contribution of CRS monitoring and evaluation staff and other in CRS who contributed to this research. Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the many grassroots farmers who provided survey responses to this study. Hopefully, our research will illuminate policies that have a positive impact on understanding by development practitioners and funders concerning the usefulness of livelihood projects on their target population of small holder farmers.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: This study examined the effect of linking small-scale women farmers to markets, referred to as community marketing, and homestead food production extension services in two districts of rural Bangladesh. Method: We particularly focused on identifying the relationship between treatment and food security, monthly expenditure patterns, and food production and marketing by adopting a doubly robust method that mediated bias from project site selection and potential misspecification of the postulated outcome or treatment model. Results: The main results showed that establishing community marketing sites along with extension services provided women farmers a secured marketing outlet for food production, plausibly associated with a decreased likelihood of a reduction in monthly expenditures on healthcare (12.7 percentage points), child education (19.4 percentage points), and transportation (51.5 percentage points) during the lean season. However, if farmers did not spend extra income generated from marketing on food purchases, it would be difficult to anticipate an improvement in food security. Conclusion: Community marketing was devised to link women smallholders to the markets without conflicting with social and cultural norms for which women were responsive, and our research findings supported the claim that they benefited from community marketing participation. Therefore, government, NGO, or other extension providers looking for a culturally appropriate approach to address women farmers’ limited mobility may consider using or modifying community marketing.
AB - Background: This study examined the effect of linking small-scale women farmers to markets, referred to as community marketing, and homestead food production extension services in two districts of rural Bangladesh. Method: We particularly focused on identifying the relationship between treatment and food security, monthly expenditure patterns, and food production and marketing by adopting a doubly robust method that mediated bias from project site selection and potential misspecification of the postulated outcome or treatment model. Results: The main results showed that establishing community marketing sites along with extension services provided women farmers a secured marketing outlet for food production, plausibly associated with a decreased likelihood of a reduction in monthly expenditures on healthcare (12.7 percentage points), child education (19.4 percentage points), and transportation (51.5 percentage points) during the lean season. However, if farmers did not spend extra income generated from marketing on food purchases, it would be difficult to anticipate an improvement in food security. Conclusion: Community marketing was devised to link women smallholders to the markets without conflicting with social and cultural norms for which women were responsive, and our research findings supported the claim that they benefited from community marketing participation. Therefore, government, NGO, or other extension providers looking for a culturally appropriate approach to address women farmers’ limited mobility may consider using or modifying community marketing.
KW - Agricultural extension services
KW - Collective action
KW - Food security
KW - Marketing
KW - Rural Bangladesh
KW - Small-scale women farmer
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U2 - 10.1186/s40066-022-00373-6
DO - 10.1186/s40066-022-00373-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129213502
SN - 2048-7010
VL - 11
JO - Agriculture and Food Security
JF - Agriculture and Food Security
IS - 1
M1 - 33
ER -