Article: Empowering mountain women through community-based high value product value chain promotion in Nepal Journal: International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology (IJARGE) 2015 Vol.11 No.3/4 pp.330 - 345 Abstract: Women account for more than 70% of the world's poor and many depend on subsistence agriculture and forest products for their livelihoods. However, they are facing difficulties to access markets and obtain a fair share of the value of the products they collect or produce. In Nepal, the level of inequality has risen among lower caste people and women despite an overall decline in poverty. Making market information available to both men and women, building alliances for collective bargaining with traders, and strengthening linkages with external service providers are the key elements in the paper impacting to increase income of women; women's empowerment through changes in traditional gender roles; and social capital. The paper identifies challenges to the institutionalisation of this approach, which is needed to maintain functional alliances and linkages among the producers, traders, and processing companies, and to increase women's control over the productive resources. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Empowering mountain women through community-based high value product value chain promotion in Nepal

Authors: Min B. Gurung; Uma Partap; Dyutiman Choudhary

Addresses: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), P.O. Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal ' International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), P.O. Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal ' International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), P.O. Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract: Women account for more than 70% of the world's poor and many depend on subsistence agriculture and forest products for their livelihoods. However, they are facing difficulties to access markets and obtain a fair share of the value of the products they collect or produce. In Nepal, the level of inequality has risen among lower caste people and women despite an overall decline in poverty. Making market information available to both men and women, building alliances for collective bargaining with traders, and strengthening linkages with external service providers are the key elements in the paper impacting to increase income of women; women's empowerment through changes in traditional gender roles; and social capital. The paper identifies challenges to the institutionalisation of this approach, which is needed to maintain functional alliances and linkages among the producers, traders, and processing companies, and to increase women's control over the productive resources.

Keywords: high value products; product value chains; community-based enterprises; female empowerment; income generation; gender equality; Nepal; mountain women; value chain promotion; market information; collective bargaining; external service providers; income; gender roles; social capital; institutionalisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJARGE.2015.074101

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2015 Vol.11 No.3/4, pp.330 - 345

Accepted: 18 Sep 2015
Published online: 08 Jan 2016 *

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Title: Empowering mountain women through community-based high value product value chain promotion in Nepal

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