Impact of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture on Rural Women Welfare: A quasi-experimental design

Abstract

Women's welfare, defined as a state of being happy, healthy and prosperous which can be measured in terms of food and non-food consumption, is a top development target in Ethiopia. Various initiatives are being carried out to promote women's welfare, including nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions. The nutritionsensitive agriculture interventions are being undertaken in the country’s most vulnerable area. The study examined the impact of NSA interventions on the welfare of rural women. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 94 participant and 166 non-participant women, for a total of 260 representative households. The study employed descriptive statistics as well as the propensity score matching (PSM) approach to attain its stated objective. The study's findings indicated that the intervention had a significant and positive influence on women's welfare. Thus, the sustained and wider dissemination of the nutrition-sensitive agricultural intervention would require building the capacity of key actors and institutionalizing the scheme in the regular, publicly supported extension program.