Activity of Vermicompost Production Associations as a Practice of Empowering Rural Women: A Case Study of Fars Province, Iran

        Provided that women’s associations are formed without discrimination against their members and in the light of public participation with respect to the employment of qualified women, they would have a major impact on the realization of social justice . Production of vermicompost by the rural women’s associations is a plan tailored by the Organization of Jihad for Agriculture and especially Bureau of Rural and Nomadic women Affairs and pursues a variety of purposes. This study aims at identifying the impacts of vermicompost production associations on rural communities in the Fars province of Iran, and it was conducted in a snowball method among 23 members of these associations in 2012. As shown by the study results, the major concerned impacts include improving the awareness of rural women, increasing the mutual trust among the rural women and specifically, increasing their confidence and encouraging their leadership; in addition, eliminating the middlemen and creating a number of jobs are among the economic impacts. Finally, some practical recommendations are presented, including promotion of women entrepreneurship in such associations as well as holding necessary training courses for the rural women and facilitators.