Abstract:
This research initiated to address the problems of resource ownership the economic
empowerment in agricultural activities and to fill the gap of economic empowerment of rural in
Basona Worena Woreda. The researcher was used three stage sampling technique by stratified
kebeles in to two strata. A total of 210 sample women farmer were randomly selected from four
selected kebeles. Primary and secondary data sources were used for this study. Primary data
were collected through interview schedule, key informant interview and focus group
discussions. Beside the author used quantitative and qualitative research approach. Woman
empowerment in agriculture index, descriptive statistics and binary regression analysis were
used to analyzing the collected data. The five domains of empowerment result shows that in
Basona Worena woreda have 42.38 percent of women are empowered and the remaining 57.62
percent of women, who are not yet empowered. Thus the overall five domains of empowerment
are similar to woman empowerment in agriculture index 0.7178.The regression result reveals
that out of fifteen explanatory variables incorporated in the model, ten variables such as age of
respondents , educational status , household land size , farm income, participation in off-farm
activities, participation of farmer cooperative, utilization of credit, agricultural extension
service, distance of market, and livestock ownership were found to a significant determinants of
economic empowerment of rural women though agricultural activities in the Woreda. Whereas
factors such as family size, marital status, participation in the agricultural demonstration,
frequency of contact with extension agent, and extension package training have no significant
influence. This study concludes that rural women contribution for each indicator to women
disempowerment according to their importance could reduce disempowerment and facilitate
adequate empowerment in all dimensions. Rural women were lack of access to credit, lack of
technical skill and lack of transfer of asset such as livestock and land, lack of purchase and sale
solely or jointly their asset. The following recommendations were forwarded that agricultural
sectors, women affair office and local government should be create awareness for women to use
agricultural inputs and extension service, equal asset right and to minimize workloads of women.
Community should be given high privilege for women their domestic and productive activities.