The Role of an Agriculture Association in the Well-Being of Women Farmers in Southern Chile

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Timeline

- Summer 2014

Status: Completed in 2014

Description

This case study based paper throws light on the role played by a Chilean agriculture association in the wellbeing of its women members. It takes a documentary approach and is based on comparative research and first person interviews. It looks at the many benefits of associating, but also carefully considers the difficulties faced by these women smallholder farmers. It concludes with institutional and legislative changes, and recommendations for improving the efficacy of the agriculture association. A women’s regional agriculture association, the Asociación Gremial de Mujeres Campesinas, was established in 2005 by the graduates of an ongoing government development initiative. While the INDAP – PRODEMU asset transfer and skills training program gives the women tools to establish small farming enterprises, and the association provides them a forum and a network, their potential success is held back by institutional and cultural barriers. Chile’s marriage laws, lack of land tenure and widespread domestic violence impose significant limitations on the wellbeing of the women and in turn the scope of the agriculture association.

Team

Members

Author: Rhonda Klevansky

Advisor: Rosemary M. Fernholz

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Categories

Agriculture, Gender, Sociology