Photo by Elisa Walton, USAID

Women play a critical role in agricultural growth in developing countries, yet they face persistent obstacles and economic constraints. The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index makes empowerment a solid and quantifiable concept Feed the Future and partners can work toward.

The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (or WEAI) is the first-ever measure to directly capture women’s empowerment and inclusion levels in the agricultural sector.

Developed by USAID, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, this innovative tool tracks women’s engagement in agriculture in five areas:

• Production
• Resources
• Income
• Leadership
• Time use

Unlike any other tool, it also measures women’s empowerment relative to men within their households, providing a more robust understanding of gender dynamics within households and communities. Read more.