The first of its kind to directly capture women’s empowerment and inclusion levels in the agricultural sector, the purpose of the Index is to understand why women in developing countries face persistent obstacles and economic constraints to inclusion in the agriculture sector even though they play a critical role in agricultural growth.

The Index is a partnership among IFPRI, the US Government’s Feed the Future initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) of Oxford University.

The threefold goal of the fellowship is to strengthen understanding and evidence of the WEAI; expand understanding of WEAI dynamics through complementary qualitative and ethnographic work and support promising researchers interested in gender and agriculture.

Christopher Manyamba is busy with his PhD in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Rural Development and Agricultural Extension in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences with Prof Sheryl Hendriks (Director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and well-being) as his supervisor. The title of his dissertation is “The Relationship between Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Household Food Insecurity: Implications on Agriculture Policy and Objectives.”