Impact of Participation in IFAD Activities on Rural Women Development: A case study of White Nile Agricultural Services Project (WNASP)

Abstract

This study was conducted in White Nile state with the objective of assessing the impact of participation in International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) activities on rural women development. The IFAD is a United Nation agency, established in1977 with clear mandate to combat hunger and rural poverty in low-income food-deficit regions of the world. Its main objective is to improve the living conditions of the rural poor on sustainable basis. The study is an attempt to stand on the extent of women participation in the activities promoted by the project and to assess the impact of participation on women development. The main objectives of this study were to examine the impact of women participation in the activities of IFAD project on rural women development in the white Nile area, identify the factors that prevent women from active participation in IFAD project activities and how these factors can be tackled to improve the level of participation in women development programs. The independent variables of the study were participation in income-generating activities, participation in training programs, participation in environmental activities and participation in social and health services. The dependent variables of the study were income, capability of reading and writing, acquire skills, variety of food and standard of living. The White Nile Agricultural Services Project activities covered 24 schemes distributed over the four localities of the White Nile state, namely Kosti, Eljeblien, Eldueim and Elgeteena. Each locality embracing a number of IFAD schemes, each scheme is subdivided into villages. Multi- stage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select the sample of the study, (sixty participants and sixty non participants women) were selected from the project area. To meet the objectives of the study, both primary and secondary data were collected and used. Primary data was collected through field survey carried out in the area. Questionnaire, interviews, observations and group discussions were used as tools for collecting the primary data. Frequency distribution and chi- square test were used for data analysis and management using the computerized Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS). Descriptive statistics of socio-economic characteristics of the respondents revealed that the majority of the participants were within the productive age (20-50 years old), most of them were married, also most of them had formal education, and about (64.8%) of them their average income was below poverty line (100-300 SDG). The majority of the women did not participated in a project before IFAD, but all of them participated in group training. Chi- square test results indicated that there was no significant association of participant\\\\\\\'s participation in income-generating activities, forestry program, social and health services neither with their level of writing and reading nor with their level of income. Also chi- square test results showed that there was a significant association between women participation in awareness activities and their participation in social and health services. The study recommended the improving of social, health and child care services for rural women through establishment and distribution of rural hospitals, health centers and medical services equitably all over the State. Also the establishment of revolving fund in the rural area under supervision of the women leaders in the villages is of high importance.