Does a joint United Nations microfinance ‘plus’ program empower female farmers in rural Ethiopia? Evidence using the pro-WEAI

Marya Hillesland, Susan Kaaria, Erdgin Mane, Mihret Alemu, Vanya Slavchevska · 2022 · World Development

Summary. A UN microfinance program in rural Ethiopia using women-run savings cooperatives increased intrinsic agency and spousal trust among women farmers who maintained credit access. However, some beneficiaries dropped out or lost access early, suggesting implementation challenges or community resistance. The study demonstrates that standardized empowerment metrics can effectively measure development program impacts on rural women in smallholder agriculture.

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Hillesland, M., Kaaria, S., Mane, E., Alemu, M., & Slavchevska, V.. (2022). Does a joint United Nations microfinance ‘plus’ program empower female farmers in rural Ethiopia? Evidence using the pro-WEAI. World Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105909

@article{hillesland-2022-does-joint-united-nations-microfinance,
  title   = {Does a joint United Nations microfinance ‘plus’ program empower female farmers in rural Ethiopia? Evidence using the pro-WEAI},
  author  = {Marya Hillesland and Susan Kaaria and Erdgin Mane and Mihret Alemu and Vanya Slavchevska},
  journal = {World Development},
  year    = {2022},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105909},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105909}
}

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TI  - Does a joint United Nations microfinance ‘plus’ program empower female farmers in rural Ethiopia? Evidence using the pro-WEAI
AU  - Marya Hillesland
AU  - Susan Kaaria
AU  - Erdgin Mane
AU  - Mihret Alemu
AU  - Vanya Slavchevska
JO  - World Development
PY  - 2022
DO  - 10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105909
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Details

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105909
Countries: Ethiopia
Regions: Africa
Categories: funding, entrepreneurship
Added: 2026-04-28