discussion paper

Can integrated agriculture-nutrition programs change gender norms on land and asset ownership? Evidence from Burkina Faso

by Mara van den Bold,
Abdoulaye Pedehombga,
Marcellin Ouédraogo,
Agnes R. Quisumbing and
Deanna K. Olney
Open Access
Citation
van den Bold, Mara; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Ouédraogo, Marcellin; Quisumbing, Agnes R. and Olney, Deanna K. 2013. Can integrated agriculture-nutrition programs change gender norms on land and asset ownership? Evidence from Burkina Faso. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1315. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). http://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/127986

This paper uses a mixed-methods approach to analyze the impact of Helen Keller International’s Enhanced-Homestead Food Production pilot program in Burkina Faso on women’s and men’s assets and on norms regarding ownership, use, and control of those assets. Even though men continue to own and control most land and specific assets in the study area, women’s control over and ownership of assets has started to change, both in terms of quantifiable changes as well as changes in people’s perceptions and opinions about who can own and control certain assets. The paper also discusses the implications of such changes for program sustainability.