WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT THROUGH AGRI-COOPERATIVES IN RURAL GHANA

BcA. Bernice Adu-Boahen, BA (Hons)

Master's thesis

Abstract:

In Ghana, investment programmes within the agricultural sector work alongside Sustainable Development Goals and as such, one of the key areas has been to empower women to achieve gender equality (SDG5). This study explores the knowledge on women’s empowerment through agricultural cooperatives by examining the benefits, factors that determine one’s decision to join agricultural cooperatives, and how agricultural cooperatives can empower women. With this, 106 female farmers (of which 31 were non-members of agricultural cooperatives with 71 being members) in the rural part of Ashanti Region were used as the unit of analysis. Purposive sampling method was employed in the data collection. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to present the demographic characteristics of the female farmers and their perceived benefits and constraints of joining a cooperative. A Pearson chi-square test of association was used to determine the association between joining an agricultural cooperative and overall women’s empowerment. Overall, the findings on empowerment indicated a statistically significant relationship between agricultural cooperatives and women’s empowerment. The study found that about 97% of disempowered women were non-members of agricultural cooperatives, whereas over two-thirds of the empowered belonged to an agricultural cooperative. The study therefore recommends education on benefits of joining a cooperative as a fifth of the 106 female farmers reported not knowing any benefits associated with joining cooperatives. This could be initiated by cooperatives and non-governmental organisations who have direct communications with the communities.

Keywords

collective action, Ashanti Region, gender equality

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 23. 4. 2023

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 29. 5. 2023
• Supervisor: Ing. Jana Mazancová, Ph.D.
• Reader: Dadson Awunyo Vitor, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme:
Agri-food Systems and Rural Development