Section 2. What Social And Environmental
Issues Exist: Strengthening Design And
Implementation of REDD+
2.5.2 Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index
(WEAI)
USAID LEAF
Regional Climate Change Curriculum Development
Module: Social and Environmental Soundness (SES)
Name
Affiliation
Kasetsart University,
Thailand
Penporn Janekarnkij; Co-Lead Kasetsart University,
Thailand
Surin Onprom; Co-Lead
Name
Affiliation
Tran Thi Thu Ha
Vietnam Forestry University
Nguyen Dinh Hai
Vietnam Forestry University
Rejani Kunjappan; Co-Lead
RECOFTC
Thailand
Vo Mai Anh
Vietnam Forestry University
Claudia Radel; Co-Lead
Utah State University
Tran Tuan Viet
Vietnam Forestry University
Sarah Hines; Co-Lead
US Forest Service
Cao Tien Trung
Vinh University, Vietnam
Sidthinat Prabudhanitisarn
Chiang Mai University,
Thailand
Nguyen T. Trang Thanh
Vinh University, Vietnam
Sharifah Zarina Syed Zakaria
University Kebangsaan Malaysia
Nguyen Thu Ha
USAID Vietnam Forests &
Deltas
Mohd Rusli Yacob
University Putra Malaysia
Maeve Nightingale
IUCN MFF
Kaisone Phengspha
National University of Laos
Guada Lagrada
PACT MPE
Phansamai Phengspha
National University of Laos
Le Van Trung
DARD Lam Dong
Kethsa Nanthavongduangsy
National University of Laos
Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh
AIT Thailand
Freddie Alei
University of Papua New Guinea
David Ganz
USAID LEAF Bangkok
Chay Kongkruy
Royal University of Agriculture,
Cambodia
Kalpana Giri
USAID LEAF Bangkok
Soreivathanak Reasey Hoy
Royal University of Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Chi Pham
Project Coordinator
USAID LEAF Bangkok
I.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.
Introduction to Climate Change
The Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Context
Introduction to Social and Environmental Soundness (SES)
Guiding Frameworks – Sustainable Development & Ethics
II. WHAT SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES EXIST: STRENGHENING
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF REDD
2.1. Environmental Co-benefits: Introduction to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
2.1.1. Carbon/REDD+ Project Accounting, Carbon Monitoring & MRV
2.2. Governance
2.2.1. Regulatory Framework, Forest Tenure, and Carbon Rights
2.3. Stakeholder Participation
2.3.1. FPIC
2.4. Social Co-benefits
2.5. Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment
2.5.1. Gender Analysis Tools
2.5.2. Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index
2.6. Indigenous Peoples and their Empowerment
2.7. Local Livelihoods: An Introduction
2.7.1 Livelihoods impact Case Study: April Salumei, PNG
2.8. REDD+ Benefits Sharing
2.9. Economic and Financial Viability and Sustainability
III. STATE OF THE ART IN ACTION: BRINGING THE PIECES TOGETHER
3.1. Safeguard Mechanisms in REDD+ Programs
3.2. Streamlining of Safeguards and Standards
3.3. Developing National Level Safeguards
At the end of this section, learners will be able to:

Explain the history, purpose, and key elements of the
WEAI tool (how it is constructed)

Analyze the advantages and limitations of the index

Construct at the conceptual level, modified indices for
application within REDD+ projects or within forestry
sector projects

Introduction to the WEAI: basics, history, purpose (5 min.)

Overview video (10 min.)

Conceptual details of the WEAI (10 min.)

In-class activities (various options provided) (15 min.)

Group out-of-class project (explanation in class, 5 min.)

Lecture or presentation of conceptual and background
materials

In-class discussions

Small group activities

Group (or individual) projects
Students should read:

Summary Brochure. Women's Empowerment in Agriculture
Index. IFPRI. February 2012.
Composite tool that identifies, for the agricultural sector:
1.
Which women are empowered?
2.
For disempowered women, in which aspects are they
disempowered?
3.
Are there empowerment gaps between men and women in same
households? And how big are gaps?
Empowerment is defined here as control over critical parts of ones life
in the household, community, and economy (all specific to agriculture)
For Discussion in Small Groups or as a Large Group:
How does this definition of empowerment relate to Kabeer’s
conceptual framework presented in SES module section 2.5?
Is it the same? Different? How?
1.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
2.
University of Oxford’s Oxford Poverty & Human
Development Initiative (OPHI)
3.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
 Designed specifically for the U.S. Government’s Feed the
Future Initiatives on food security

Developed over 2011-2012 year

Pilot surveys conducted in Guatemala, Uganda, and
Bangladesh in 2011

Officially launched in 2012
Source: OPHI presentation, Alkire and Vaz, 2012.
1.
Five Domains of
Empowerment (5DE)
a measure of women’s
empowerment across
various areas
90%
Women’s
Empowerment
in
Agriculture
Index
2.
Gender Parity Index
(GPI)
A measure of women’s
empowerment
achievements relative to
men in same family
10%
1.
Track changes
2.
Target interventions
http://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WEAI-video-for-web.mp4
This short film explains why the WEAI was created, how it is constructed
and the different ways in which it can be used. It includes interviews with
representatives of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative
(OPHI), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), who collaborated to
develop the innovative index. Duration: 7:34
Film is also posted online here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaPstZAYWas
Source: USAID WEAI brochure
Source: OPHI presentation, Alkire and Vaz, 2012
A woman who has achieved
‘adequacy’ in 80% or more of the
weighted indicators is empowered.
Source: OPHI presentation, Alkire and Vaz, 2012
Proportion of women not empowered and who have inadequate
achievement by indicator in Bangladesh sample
Discussion Question:
Source: USAID WEAI brochure
How might these results be used to target
interventions aimed at increasing the WEAI?
Contribution to each indicator to disempowerment for women and men in Bangladesh sample
Discussion Question:
How is the disempowerment
of men and women different
for this Bangladesh sample?
Questions for Discussion:
 If a woman is empowered according to the WEAI, but her husband has a higher
empowerment score, is there gender parity?
 If a woman is disempowered, but her empowerment score is higher than her husband’s,
is there gender parity?
 Do you agree with the WEAI approach to gender parity? If not, what would you change?
Questions for Discussion:
 If a woman is empowered according to the WEAI, but her husband has a higher
empowerment score, is there gender parity?
 If a woman is disempowered, but her empowerment score is higher than her husband’s,
is there gender parity?
 Do you agree with the WEAI approach to gender parity? If not, what would you change?
WEAI = (5DE*.9) + (GPI*.1)
Class Discussion:

How could the WEAI be useful in the context of a REDD+
project?

If you could, would you modify the five domains and the ten
indicators? What would you change?
Small Group Activity:

Examine the individual Uganda survey instrument. Choose one
module to explore with your group. Then construct 2-3
discussion questions to pose to the full class based on your
selected module.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Seema
Aysha
Naju
Nadia
Group Activity: Groups of 4 (each student gets one profile).
1.
As a group, assign the case studies to their WEAI status. This will require
modifying the profile PDFs to cover the final paragraph that divulges the
woman’s status (empowered or not) and to cover the domain achievements
graphic at the end. First share the modified profiles with students, and after
students attempt to assign status, share the non-modified profiles.
2.
Then hold a role play discussion among the four women, in which experiences
are shared and advice is sought.
Alternative: include profiles from the other two WEAI pilot countries (Uganda and
Guatemala), either keeping countries together within groups or mixing up countries.
Datasets are available online from the three pilot surveys in
Guatemala, Bangladesh, and Uganda. These datasets could be used to
design and assign a more advanced exercise for homework. If the
assignment were to entail constructing WEAIs, additional training on
the mathematical steps would be required. Training using STATA is
available online through IFPRI’s or OPHI’s websites.
IFPRI WEAI dataset link: http://www.ifpri.org/book-9075/node/9078
IFPRI WEAI training link: http://www.ifpri.org/book-9075/node/9077
1.
Divide students into groups of 3 to 5 members.
2.
Ask students to review the WEAI’s 5 domains of
empowerment and to alter or add domains and/or
indicators for a WEFI.
3.
Then ask students to construct survey questions to collect
data for any new indicators.
This project would be best carried out as a follow up assignment
to the class for later submission.
Short answer questions:
1.
What are the two parts to the WEAI?
2.
Which of the two WEAI parts carries more weight in the index?
3.
What are the five domains of the WEAI?
4.
When is a woman considered empowered?
5.
When is gender parity considered to exist?
Essay questions:
1.
Discuss what your own empowerment score would likely be. Be sure to
refer in your response to all five domains of empowerment.
2.
Discuss one way you would consider modifying the WEAI in order to
apply it in the context of forest-based livelihoods.
3.
Discuss the possible application of the WEAI to REDD+.

The WEAI is a new tool to measure women’s empowerment in
agriculture.

The WEAI could be modified for use in other applications,
including in REDD+.

The WEAI can be used to monitor the effects of projects or to
target projects.

The WEAI measures women’s empowerment and the
empowerment gap between men and women in the same
households.

The WEAI is an aggregate survey-based index for a community,
region, or country, but also provides individual and household
data.
1.
Alkire, S., Malapit, H., Meinzen-Dick, R., Peterman, A., Quisumbing, A., Seymour, G.
and A. Vaz. 2013. “Instructional Guide on the Women’s Empowerment in
Agriculture Index.” IFPRI and OPHI.
This instructional guide was written by researchers from IFPRI and OPHI to assist
practitioners in implementing the Index. This report points out the most critical
issues for consideration and good practices in the survey design, data collection,
calculation, and analysis of the WEAI. The guide includes an annex with a noncountry-specific sample instrument.
2.
Alkire, Sabina, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Amber Peterman, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Greg
Seymour and Ana Vaz. 2013. The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index.
OPHI Working Paper No. 58.
This Working Paper also was published in December 2012 by the International
Food Policy Research Institute as a Discussion Paper.
3.
Alkire, Sabina and Ana Vaz. OPHI Constructing the WEAI Presentation: “Calculating
the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index,” 27 June 2012.
4.
IFPRI. 2002. Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Summary Brochure.
February.
5.
Meinzen-Dick, R. 2013. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Index:
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture. IFPRI.
6.
Sraboni, Esha, Agnes R. Quisumbing, and Akhter U. Ahmed. 2013. The Women’s
Empowerment in Agriculture Index: Results from the 2011-2012 Bangladesh
Integrated Household Survey. IFPRI and USAID.