Release of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index

On Tuesday, February 28, 2012, the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) was launched at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The WEAI is the first-ever measure to directly capture women’s empowerment and inclusion levels in the agricultural sector. Women play a critical role in agricultural growth in developing countries, yet they face persistent obstacles and economic constraints, limiting further inclusion in the sector.

The WEAI is a partnership between the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future intiative, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) of Oxford University. The index will be used for performance monitoring and impact evaluations of Feed the Future programs around the world. It has been piloted in regions of threecountries so far – Bangladesh, Guatemala and Uganda.

• Watch a recording of the launch at the UN on OPHI’s website
• Read the full media advisory on the USAID website

Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index Resources

• Check out the official brochure on the WEAI (pdf, 2mb)
• Case study: Seema in Bangladesh (pdf, 550kb)
• Case study: Aysha in Bangladesh (pdf, 550kb)
• Case study: Maria in Guatemala (pdf, 500kb)
• Case study: Angela in Guatemala (pdf, 570kb)
• Case study: Peace, Uganda (pdf, 520kb)
• Case study: Florence, Uganda (pdf, 545kb)
• Download the Survey Questionnaires and Manual from IFPRI’s website
• WEAI Twitter Hour answers  
• Watch a video for background on the WEAI and how it can be used
• Webinar on the WEAI on the Agrilinks website 
• WEAI Resource Center on IFPRI website
• WEAI Data Sets on USAID.gov

• Read a press release from USAID on the launch
• Read the blog post about the WEAI on the USAID IMPACTblog
• Read about the release of the WEAI on Bloomberg
• Read an article on the WEAI on the U.S. Department of State’s IIP Digital site