Women and youth engagement in agroecology and its contribution to sustainable development and social equity: evidence from Chemba District, Tanzania

Abstract

Agroecology integrates ecological principles with traditional and innovative agricultural practices to address climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and socioeconomic inequities. Women and youth play key roles in agricultural labor, knowledge, and innovation; however, strategies to empower them through agroecology remain underexplored. This study employed a multi-theoretical framework combining Empowerment Theory, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, and Feminist Political Ecology to: (1) assess how widely women and youth have adopted agroecological practices and to identify the factors influencing their participation, (2) explore challenges to active engagement, and (3) assess mechanisms for empowerment. Household surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 384 women and youth respondents purposefully sampled from Paranga, Chemba, and Gwandi wards of Chemba District who were actively practicing agroecology. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, chi-square tests, and multilevel logistic regression, while qualitative data were transcribed and thematically analyzed in NVivo, with findings triangulated across methods. Results indicate that 45.7% of women and 24.4% of youth participated in agroecology, with practices including intercropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry. Determinants of participation included food security, employment, income sources, farmer networks, and engagement in agroecology organizations. Barriers included inadequate capital, limited land ownership, poor extension services, prolonged drought, institutional constraints, and limited household decision-making. Empowerment mechanisms identified were capacity building, inclusive policy design, entrepreneurship, research, and access to subsidized resources. Overall, women and youth face both structural and resource-based constraints, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. The study recommends equitable resource distribution, intergenerational cooperation, knowledge sharing, and gender-sensitive policies to strengthen women’s and youth’s empowerment in agroecology.