Women's Participation In Agrarian Reform Community Project In A Filipino Barangay

This study examined women's participation in the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) project in a Filipino barangay. Specifically, the study identified the different processes involved in establishing the ARC projects and examined the forms and extent of women's participation in each process. It also analyzed the conditions that influenced their participation, and the benefits that they derived from their involvement in these projects. The policy implications of this study were also discussed. This study utilized a qualitative-ethnographic approach. Various methods of data collection were used in the study. These included indepth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), key-informant interviews, and direct observations method. The findings of the study revealed that two processes were involved in setting up the ARC projects. The first process was mobilization covering several phases, namely: social preparation, organizational building, capability building, and enterprise development. The second one was operationalization, comprising the planning, implementation and monitoring stages. Various activities were carried out in the mobilization and operationalization processes of the ARC projects. The results of the study showed that women were involved in many different forms of participation in both processes. However, during the initial phase of mobilization, they played a rather limited role, since they were not involved in decision-making. A higher degree of participation was only noted between the organizational building phase and the capability-building phase during which they began to participate actively in planning and in decision-making. In the operationalization process, the women were given the authority to manage the ARC projects. As a result, they demonstrated a high extent of participation in all the activities, be they at the planning, implementation or monitoring stages. Women's participation in the ARC projects was associated with several conditions. These were conditions that were associated with the women themselves, conditions that were associated with the projects, conditions that were associated with their leaders, and conditions that were associated with networking. Their participation in the ARC projects provided them with both material and nonmaterial benefits. The study concluded that the implementation of the ARC projects not only resulted in the creation of income-generating activities in the barangay, but also it facilitated women's participation in development efforts. Despite their limited resources, they showed greater motivation to take part in the projects. They had demonstrated that through a participatory form of development they could, by acting collectively, achieve self-reliance

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