The main value chain that CARE Ghana promoted in Pathways, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was soybeans—a crop that women took to immediately, and helped raise income by 300%. But what the soybeans turned into might surprise you. Women were most likely to invest their money in sending kids to school, and anecdotal evidence suggests that the rates of schooling went up.
It’s not just school that matters to them. In fact, after 3 years with the Pathways program, women in Ghana have some bold moves of their own. As one participant told evaluators, "Women’s empowerment is when a woman is able to take bold decisions and can do things to help herself and even other women in a community."
What have we accomplished?
- Better food: The number of women consuming pulses—foods that are very rich in vitamins and protein—nearly tripled, largely because of the introduction of soybeans as a new crop.
- Giving families the tools to deal with disaster. The percentage of households using adaptive strategies went up 55% (from 56.4 to 87.3). Beyond that, people are less likely to use negative coping strategies in the face of shocks, even though shocks have gone up dramatically. The number of people selling off productive assets fell by 40%, and the families who reduced their investment in agricultural productivity was cut in half (from 60% to 30%).
- Income increased: Families monthly income increased more than 300% (from $3.41 to $9.90)
- Women are more empowered: Women’s empowerment scores using CARE’s Women’s Empowerment Index went up by 19%. The number of women that this scale rates as empowered more than doubled, up to 16.4%.
- Social norms have changed: People see women’s role in the community and as farmers differently. Men are allocating land from their fields for women to use. Men now say they think of women as knowledgeable and responsible, which they didn’t before. “Yes, our perceptions have changed, we now see empowered women as women who are smart and knowledgeable and can fight for their rights.” Female FG, Lambussie-Karni district
- Women have more freedom: Women with sole or joint control over agricultural income went up 23%. Women who had sole or joint control over household assets went up by 45% (from 33 to 48%, and mobility more than quadrupled (from 10% to 46%)
How did we get there?
- Increase women’s access to credit: 78% of women cited this as the most important aspect of the Pathways program. Women are primarily using credit to send their kids to school, and the number of children in schools seems to have gone up.
- Get women access to information: The number of women who accessed agricultural extension more than tripled, up to 79%.
- Connect women to markets: Women were more than twice as likely to be able to sell their products into markets, which helped them get higher prices. Being able to generate income helped women become equals in the household and build their credibility in society.
Want to learn more?
Check out the final evaluation, or the website at www.care.org/pathways.