The effect of agricultural cooperative membership on women’s empowerment: a case of rural Ashanti, Ghana

Agricultural cooperatives are promoted as pathways to women’s empowerment in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, yet evidence remains mixed. This study examines how cooperative membership affects women’s empowerment in Ghana’s Ashanti region using the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). Through interviews with 106 women farmers (75 members, 31 non-members) and Propensity Score Matching with endogenous treatment regression, we find that cooperative membership significantly increases women’s empowerment levels. Members outperformed non-members in four WEAI domains: production, income, resources, and leadership, though time constraints persisted. The matrilineal land tenure system emerged as a key enabler, with 80% of women accessing land through inheritance. However, older women showed a lower level of cooperative membership due to risk aversion and physical limitations. We recommend: (1) female-targeted extension services, (2) addressing time poverty and cultural shift (3) safeguarding women’s land right, and (4) creation of inclusive leadership scheme. These findings advance the gender-and-agriculture debate by demonstrating how cooperatives, when combined with contextual factors like matrilineal systems, can catalyse empowerment in patrilineal West Africa.