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Market uncertainties constitute a significant risk for smallholder farmers, particularly women. The COVID-19 crisis has underscored how entrenched gender norms are intensified during a period of crisis, thereby deepening existing gender-based constraints (GBCs) and limiting women’s opportunities in agri-businesses. Situated within the immediate aftermath of the post-COVID-19 context, this paper explores the lived experiences of women farmers in navigating GBCs and demonstrates how collective capabilities can challenge these barriers. Drawing on the approach and findings from a two-and-a-half-year participatory action research on women’s economic empowerment conducted in Nepal, we reveal that while social norms continue to dictate gender roles, traditional GBCs have evolved in response to infrastructural and technological developments, and they have manifested differently. However, enhanced capacities enabled women farmers to navigate niche market dynamics at higher nodes and secure premium prices for their produce. The approach to capabilities’ enhancement demands collaborative and context-suited actions, co-designed and co-implemented with women farmers and backed by related stakeholders. These findings highlight the transformative potential of building collective capabilities to address GBCs in smallholder farming by fostering women’s agency, enhancing their access to resources and strengthening institutional support for unlocking their economic potential in agri-business.
Acharya et al. (Thu,) studied this question.