The effects of the operation wealth creation programme on the care economy : a case of farmers in Apac district

Abstract

The study analyzed the effects of the Operation Wealth Creation program on the care economy. The focus was on farmers (organized in groups) who benefitted from the Operation Wealth Creation initiative in Apac district. The study was guided by three objectives that is: assessing the practices and implementation of OWC from a gender perspective; investigating the changes in gender roles that is caused by the implementation of the OWC program and examining the amount of time spent on unpaid care work activities in households and communities with the introduction of OWC. Naila Kabeer’s Social Relations Approach/ Framework (SRA/F) was adopted. A mixed methods approach with a concurrent nested design was adopted. The methods of data collection included: interviews (semi-structured, in-depth, and key informant interviews); focus group discussions; gender policy analysis and document analysis. The study findings revealed the beneficiaries started moving towards the cash economy with many of them 60% earning from the sale of the products got after joining the OWC program. The findings further showed an increase in women’s involvement in agricultural activities (both commercial and subsistence) and community-managing roles after OWC was introduced, greatly affecting their involvement in performing unpaid care work. The involvement of children, hired labour, group members, friends and relatives also increased in terms of agricultural activities. More to that, most of the household activities roles shifted to children. The study conclusion indicates that OWC has increased time spent on agricultural activities by both men and women after the advent of the OWC. A reduction in the time spent on unpaid care work activities by both women and men after the advent of OWC was also revealed by the study. More still, rest hours and time spent on paid work reduced for both men and women. The general well-being of the farmers has greatly improved in terms of resources, division of labour, and decision-making power. In order to deal with the effects of the OWC program on the care economy, the OWC officials must carry out a needs assessment study to determine which services should be given to the women and men. Labour saving/ time saving technologies should be availed to reduce toiling for farmers and engage them in other productive activities.