Capacity-building, Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Empowerment in Bangladesh: A Mixed Methods Research

This book explores how government-sponsored programs impact the capacity building of resource-poor farming households in the Mymensingh District of Bangladesh, which are marked by poverty, gender inequality, and lack of income-earning opportunities. For this purpose, a mixed-methods research approach was used. Principal component analysis (PCA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to the results of a questionnaire survey to evaluate capacity-building outcomes of rural farmers.

Qualitative analysis such as the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM) was employed in the case studies of six local entrepreneurs, three men and three women, to evaluate the effectiveness of a common interest group (CIG) approach to overcome poverty and gender inequality. The analytical results revealed that a mixed-gender CIG consisting of male and female farmers was effective for capacity building along with group leadership, crop diversification, access to seed, and mechanized farming compared with those in a single-gender CIG or among non-CIG farmers. In addition, it was demonstrated that a CIG approach was effective for entrepreneurial development through the formation and mobilization of social capital.

Access to finance, workplace culture, and institutional support were the most crucial factors for entrepreneurship development to ensure gender equality and economic empowerment. Research showed that in order to enhance the capacity of resource-poor farmers, the government should pay attention to gender diversity management to minimize existing gaps and to achieve income-generating agriculture through public–private partnerships. In other words, a gender-inclusive entrepreneurial environment is essential to facilitate socio-cultural transformation for sustainable socio-economic development in Bangladesh.