Resource

Measuring Empowerment in the Market Access eNabled by Digital Innovation (MANDI) Project: Baseline Study Report

Grameen Foundation USA (GFUSA) and its Indian subsidiary, Grameen Foundation India (GFI) (together, Grameen) are assisting 40 farmer producer organizations (FPOs) in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India through a Walmart Foundation-funded “Market Access eNabled by Digital Innovation” (MANDI) project. The MANDI project aims to strengthen the capacity of 40 select FPOs to connect smallholder farmers (SHFs), especially female farmers, to markets and finance in order to improve their incomes and resilience. The project supports 10,000 SHFs, including at least 4,000 female farmers, working across several value chains such as wheat, paddy, vegetables, and other crops to improve their access to extension services, market opportunities, and financial services.

The Applying New Evidence for Women’s empowerment (ANEW) research led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and funded by the Walmart Foundation also supports Grameen in expanding the scope of research and learning agenda for the MANDI project. With the inclusion and testing of the project-level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index plus Market Inclusion (pro-WEAI +MI) tool, Grameen seeks to test the hypothesis that “fostering intra-household decision-making leads to the improved market orientation of smallholder farmers and women’s engagement and empowerment levels in agriculture”. This report highlights the key findings from a baseline assessment completed in 2021 and outlines some key opportunities and risks that Grameen should consider both from a methodological view and programming view to understanding pro-WEAI+MI results as well as implications of the results for the project activities.