Empowering Rural Women Through Integrated Livelihood Interventions: Evidence from Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka

Rural women’s economic empowerment remains a major development challenge in agrarian economies as structural barriers limit the productivity and sustainability of livelihoods. This study evaluates an integrated livelihood intervention implemented by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) with support from the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. Using a criteria-based weighted scoring system, 22 women entrepreneurs were selected from 32 candidates based on entrepreneurial experience, motivation, economic need, resource availability, business viability and willingness to participate. The intervention combined financial assistance (₹35,000) with technical training, business development support, market linkage facilitation and continuous mentoring. The supported enterprises included agricultural production, specialised farming, fresh produce processing, value-added processing, food production, handicrafts and speciality crop cultivation. Before the intervention, 68.2% of households lived below the poverty line (₹17,177), while with the project intervention, 54.5% of these households moved above the updated poverty threshold (₹17,268), with monthly household income increases ranging from ₹2,500 to ₹30,000. Nevertheless, 10 households remained below the poverty line, reflecting differences in enterprise maturity, market access and household conditions. Beyond income improvement, participants reported enhanced self-confidence, greater household decision-making, stronger social networks, improved technical knowledge and increased community recognition. The findings demonstrate that integrated support combining financial assistance, capacity building, infrastructure and market linkages can significantly improve women’s economic empowerment and household welfare.