Knowledge-Sharing Strategies for Poverty Eradication Among Rural Women

2.1 Knowledge Sharing Strategies

Unpacking the concept of knowledge is crucial in understanding knowledge sharing. There are various definitions of knowledge, each varying according to the context. Knowledge is considered as personal, subjective, conceptual, and associated with the awareness of what one knows, and includes expert understanding, reasoning, and experience or beliefs (Buckland 1991; Davenport and Prusak 1998; McInerney 2002; Xue 2017). Knowledge has also been defined as a top layer of a hierarchy that draws from information (Al-Sallti 2011; Boddy, Boonstra, and Kennedy 2005; Chaffey and Wood 2005; Turban, Rainer and Potter 2005). In this paper, knowledge is defined as a dynamic blend of organized experiences, beliefs, context-based information, and expert understanding resulting from complex social, goal-driven, and culturally bound processes. Knowledge can be tacit or explicit.

Knowledge sharing is a key component of the knowledge management process (Ali and Avdic 2015; Krumova and Milanezi 2014; Manamela 2018). Hendricks (2021) defines knowledge sharing as the exchange of knowledge or the behavior that helps others with knowledge. Dixon (2000) explains knowledge sharing as the flow of tacit and explicit knowledge from someone who has it to someone who wants it. In this paper, knowledge sharing is defined as the process in which the stakeholders of communities consciously and mutually exchange previous experiences, know-how, and understanding of a topic to jointly create new knowledge for sustainable development. Information, learning, community engagement, curiosity, and right and wrong decisions are considered to be the sources of this knowledge (Hooff and Ridder 2004; Wang and Ko 2012; Xue 2017).

A strategy is a high-level plan specifically developed for bringing about change (Magretta 2011). The widely cited strategy of Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney (1999) focuses on codification or personalization. The codification strategy – also referred to as the “people-to-document” approach – is the storage of knowledge in databases for access and use. Knowledge is codified by extracting it from the person who generated it to make the knowledge independent from the person, with the aim to use it for different purposes. This strategy allows people to access documents in a repository without having to contact the person who originally developed it. On the other hand, the personalization strategy focuses on dialogue between individuals, not knowledge objects in a database, and it is mainly shared through direct person-to-person contact (Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney 1999). Such knowledge is transferred in the form of brainstorming and one-on-one conversations, or by telephone, email, and video conferences. In deciding which of these two strategies would work best, Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney (1999) suggest focusing on only one of the strategies and using the other in a supporting role. The knowledge-sharing strategy in this study is a systematic process of exchanging indigenous and technical knowledge between rural women and their stakeholders to produce knowledgeable rural women, to achieve poverty eradication.

2.2 Knowledge Sharing Frameworks for Poverty Eradication

This section reviews the different knowledge management frameworks for poverty eradication and sustainable rural development to develop a conceptual framework for the current study. Among these are frameworks developed by Ali and Avdic (2015), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC 2010), Fombad (2018), and Parveen and Leonhäuser (2004).

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC 2010) framework considers knowledge assets, knowledge management processes, and tools, as the foundation for knowledge management for development for Caribbean Sub Region. Education, innovation, regulatory environment, ICT, the role of stakeholders, and monitoring and evaluation are crucial pillars necessary to realize this framework. This framework advocates that applying tangible and intangible knowledge assets will result in alleviation of poverty. An example of tangible assets is explicit knowledge of local communities, while an example of intangible assets is tacit knowledge, such as rich and diverse culture.

Parveen and Leonhäuser (2004) investigated the root cause of women’s powerlessness and suggested several knowledge sharing strategies to improve the economic and social conditions of poor and vulnerable rural women for sustainable development. They noted that traditional beliefs, attitudes, and practices are deeply entrenched in women’s lives, thus hindering their empowerment. To overcome these barriers, major intervening agencies, including government organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), women’s organizations, and other stakeholders (private initiatives, civil society etc.)are needed to stimulate the process of female empowerment. Among the strategies suggested is the need to stimulate female empowerment through appropriate legislative instruments, planning, and programs. They also advocated that formal and non-formal education, exposure to information media, and spatial mobility are influential factors for women’s empowerment.

Fombad (2018) developed a knowledge management strategy for poverty reduction in South Africa and suggested the need for future studies on knowledge management for poverty to focus on specific groups and interventions such as black small businesses, the unemployed youth, the unskilled youth, equality in education, rural women, and rural development. The framework suggests the creation of knowledge management centers for poverty that will serve as hubs for knowledge creation and sharing and utilization in the country. The author further posited that the realization of the role of this center requires enabling factors such as ICT, leadership, institutional frameworks, and learning.

Ali and Avdic (2015) drew from ten different frameworks to create a knowledge-sharing framework appropriate for a rural context. They advocated for a knowledge society where relevant stakeholders share knowledge of the process of development to achieve rural development. They explained that the sustainability of a knowledge society arises when rural community members can collectively learn about the processes and activities of rural development, realize the need for protecting their environment, become prosperous by starting to earn money, and make efforts to be peaceful and knowledgeable. They listed programs for rural development agriculture, Information Communication Technology, gender development, institutional development and infrastructure such as the building of healthcare units, houses, bridges, roads and schools, providing safe drinking water and sewerage, as well as cultural preservation and tourism promotion (Ali and Avdic 2015). They concluded that the local community members can handle their own social life, economy, and environment. This framework stressed that the cooperative advantage of sharing knowledge involves using shared knowledge collectively to pursue similar goals. It advocated that the same stakeholder can be a knowledge producer of specific knowledge and beneficiary of other knowledge.

This paper therefore draws from the different strengths of the aforementioned frameworks to develop a framework for knowledge sharing for poverty eradication of rural women in the northern region of Ghana as presented in Figure 1 below. Although Parveen and Leonhäuser’s (2004) framework specifically targeted the need for rural women’s empowerment toward poverty eradication, it lacks certain key elements in knowledge sharing. ECLAC (2010) and Fombad’s (2018) framework recognizes the importance of knowledge sharing for sustainable development but does not focus sufficiently on environmental factors and other barriers that may influence the knowledge sharing process that is evident in Ali and Advic’s (2015) framework. On the other hand, issues such as monitoring and evaluation and knowledge sharing tools, storage mediums, and processes are absent in Ali and Advic’s (2015) framework.

Figure 1:

Knowledge sharing framework for poverty eradication among rural women. Source: author’s construct (2023) based on reviewed literature.

4.1 Peer Collaboration

Peer collaboration, involving the sharing of ideas and skills in individual and community-building projects, emerged as a strategy for poverty eradication among rural women. Insights gathered from interviews with rural women and stakeholders, including the past and current district assemblymen, heads of the three communities, and the director of the district assembly, revealed that collaborative projects jointly undertaken by non-profit organizations and the district assembly proved more successful than those executed independently by non-profit organizations. The women and one of the stakeholders remarked as follows:

“One finger cannot pick up a stone. When we are together and share our knowledge, we become better. Working alone is like bearing a load heavier than one can carry.” N-P1

“I may possess knowledge of a particular trade, and if I share that knowledge with you, you can also benefit from it.” TIN-P5

“New projects that come to the village should not be entrusted to one person, as this leads to a lot of conflicts.” TON-P3

This was further affirmed by the focus group findings indicated below.

“Whenever some rural women are selected for external training or workshops in nearby communities, they gather the other women and share the knowledge obtained with them.” ST-P1

“Here in Nagbali, we help each other to build and farm, as well as any other work that is difficult for one person to do.” N-SP2

Further probing on how they started collaborating and sharing ideas to support each other revealed the following:

“Masonry work came about when we gathered as a community to deliberate on how to increase our farm yields.” N-SP3

From observing the groups of rural women, the researchers concluded that rural women collaborate in various activities, including plowing each other’s farms, joining hands to process shea butter, and sharing responsibility for correcting each other’s children. Collaboration among rural dwellers is a well-established strategy for improving the livelihoods of rural households in developing countries. Collaborative initiatives will result in asset pooling, marketing associations, community-building projects, and purchasing groups (Spriggs et al. 2017).

4.2 Adoption, Refinement, and Repackaging of Indigenous Knowledge

The adoption, refinement, and repackaging of indigenous knowledge emerged as another strategy for knowledge sharing for poverty eradication, as noted in the following key findings from the interviews, focus groups, and observations with the rural women and their stakeholders:

“Our shea butter processing knowledge was shared with us by our grandparents and yet we still use the same method to process and package the shea butter.” TON-P5

“I am a local midwife and one of my treasured local knowledge areas is attending to traditional birth. I received the knowledge from my grandmother. I always followed her around. She taught me what to do when the placenta is not coming out. She also taught me techniques for knowing whether the baby’s head is down and ready to be delivered.” TON-P1

It was clear from the focus group discussion that if indigenous knowledge is adopted, refined, and repackaged it will be essential for the survival of rural women:

“There is a soup that we prepare with ‘dawadawa’, salt, and pepper. It has fewer ingredients and helps to quench hunger. When we grow beans, we will pound and boil the leaves and mix them with the other ingredients. When you are hungry and you eat and drink water, you will be perfectly okay for the whole day. As you can see, no woman is overweight in this community. This knowledge can be shared with other people.” N-SP1

“If you uproot the root of a tree called ‘biriga’ and boil it until it is reddish thick, it can help heal various sicknesses in children.” N-SP5

“Our grandparents harvested from their farms all the ingredients they used to cook. Meanwhile, when we have the right knowledge, we can package and sell or teach the world how to spice food naturally without any side effect.” TIN-SP3

There was consensus in the comments of the focus group participants on the need for the refinement of indigenous knowledge. At the Tongnoli focus group discussion, the women also displayed the rich indigenous knowledge they possess by showing the moderators seeds and trees that are loaded with benefits. When refined and repackaged for sale, these items can help eradicate poverty of rural women, as noted below:

“I was able to imagine a new idea. There is a plant called ‘jabla’ that I planted and I’m able to harvest it every two weeks. I have shared with the women how to cultivate it. It is a natural dye that we can teach others.” TON-SP1

“My grandmother also used the seeds of the kapok or ‘gumdee’ tree to prepare sweeteners and sweet spices. We fry the seed, pound, and dry it. When you add a little to your stew and soup, you will think it is Maggi cube.” TON-SP2

The rural women and the heads of the communities studied showed various trees, medicines, foods, handcrafts, and brews that hold huge prospects for generating income that may help eradicate poverty when refined and repackaged for both the national and international markets. The researchers also had the opportunity to observe and taste the seeds of a tree called “biriga,” as shown in Figure 3 below. Rural women collect the seeds and process them as a traditional means of adding flavor and delicacy to their meals, sticking the pieces of cotton in sacks at the corners of their households. Though the quantity of cotton inside the kapok fruit is small, the tree has a high yield, and rural women can gather much of it to sell to pillow makers and other cloth-processing companies.

Figure 3:

The inside of the kapok fruit. Source: field data (2021).

Indigenous knowledge is a form of tacit knowledge that constitutes a vast and underutilized national resource in most developing countries and is essential for preserving valued heritage, gaining new skills, and addressing problems (Fombad 2018; Mole, Ekwelem, and Din 2018). There is a need to raise awareness of indigenous knowledge, since the poor themselves want to use their local knowledge and have a say in how policies that impact them are designed (Cheteni, Khamfula, and Mah 2019). Rural women have essential indigenous knowledge passed down from their forebears, ranging from the preparation of medication to healthy and hunger-satisfying foods, as well as the taboos and norms that promote peaceful coexistence between rivals, spouses, and community members. Other indigenous knowledge in the rural communities, unknown to the outside world, which has the potential to generate income, is local knowledge of charcoal burning, shea nut picking and processing, handcrafts, the making of beverages, hat-weaving, and calabash-making. Local shea processing knowledge needs to be refined and repackaged to be viable in international markets, because the worldwide shea butter market is expected to reach USD $2.9 billion by 2025 (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) 2021). Rural women may add value and improve the prices of shea butter by imparting and learning new methods of processing and packaging, allowing them to earn more to improve their situation. The preparation of the African locust bean and the seeds of the kapok fruit as a natural means of adding flavour and delicacy to meals might also be processed, repackaged, and commercialized for greater acceptability.

4.3 Introduction to New Knowledge

The responses below reveal that the introduction of new knowledge is also considered a strategy for poverty eradication among rural women in the northern region of Ghana, as the participants noted the need for new knowledge to refine their indigenous knowledge and gain new ideas for alternative businesses:

“To help us live better lives, I hope someone would visit and teach us new things and introduce us to what is happening outside of our community.” TON-P2

“While we are ready to apply knowledge shared with us, unfortunately, new knowledge scarcely comes to the community.” N-P1

“Knowledge is progressive and so there is the need for new knowledge to constantly come in.” N-P3

“For now, there is no new knowledge. The NGOs that promised to come never came, so we have no new knowledge to apply.” TIN-P2

“I believe I would apply new knowledge if it were available. Sometimes when individuals come to me for assistance, I teach them everything.” TON-P10

“Our main occupation is household chores and farming; boys learn from their fathers and the girls learn from the mothers. New knowledge would be appreciated.” TON-P12

“We are always looking forward to someone to come and inspire us and lead us out of poverty.” TON-P5

“We need people who are more knowledgeable than us to come and teach us how to improve our lives. If you know anyone who has knowledge to share with us, let them come and help us.” N-P1

Moreover, the leader of the Tintang community (ST-P2) and the head of the Tongnoli community (ST-P3) expressed their anticipation and prayers for someone to impart new skills to the local residents, to complement their existing knowledge. ST-P2 expressed disillusionment with unfulfilled financial promises, emphasizing the belief that introducing rural women to novel concepts could empower them to generate independent income, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.

The interview findings were corroborated by the focus group findings below, where it was clear that new knowledge was required by the rural women:

“We don’t have any new knowledge, not even one local elite to act as a mentor.” TON-SP1

“We are not born to be in this situation. Our husbands’ farming activities are no longer fruitful and most of them are not even feeling well. So, we plead for any knowledge or hand skills that can help support our livelihood.” TIN-SP4

“Any kind of knowledge that will help improve our livelihood would be greatly appreciated.” N-SP1

It was observed that most participants spoke passionately about their need for new knowledge. The experience rural women develop and the knowledge they gain by participating in daily rural activities and addressing difficulties should be differentiated from new knowledge (Mtega, Dulle, and Benard 2013). Nevertheless, agricultural extension officers, district assembly members, community health nurses, and representatives from civil society organizations serve as conduits for new ideas and knowledge to enter rural communities (FAO 2019a).

4.4 Resource Availability and Project Sustainability

Key findings from the interviews, focus groups, and observation indicate the need to consider resource availability, as this ensures that knowledge shared among rural women is practiced until mastery. In the interviews, the participants said that external stakeholders who shared knowledge on soap-making, pomade, tie dye, sandals and other handcrafts did not share with them how to sustain the trade after the materials given to them had run out. Since inaccessible roads and limited access to markets challenge the communities, there is a need for a strategy to sustain the knowledge shared. For instance, N-P1 indicated:

“When we get new knowledge, we accept it but we are unable to apply it due to a lack of resources and materials. Sometimes the knowledge-sharers promise to return but they don’t.”

N-P5 also mentioned:

“We couldn’t apply most of the knowledge shared with us. For example, when the soap-making machine broke, we were promised a replacement but never received it, and everything halted.”

N-P4, TON-P8 and N-P5 all complained about the lack of resources and equipment maintenance that prevented them from putting the knowledge they had been provided to use. They proposed that knowledge tools and equipment should be affordable enough for rural women to use to prevent knowledge shared from becoming dormant.

TON-P8 specifically noted that “Resource availability is crucial to ensuring that knowledge-sharing projects are sustained. Lack of mobile phone networks and electricity hinder rural women from knowing the happenings of the district.”

TON-P12 specifically noted that when some good knowledge or information comes into the country or the Mion district, they do not hear about it or only hear about it later when deadlines have passed.

“I call on stakeholders to come to our aid with some social amenities such as roads and mobile networks to connect us to other knowledge sources and improve our lives to eradicate poverty.” TON-P1

The focus group discussion findings also confirmed that resource availability and project sustainability in developing knowledge sharing strategies were essential for rural women for poverty eradication, as noted in the responses below:

“There is the need for certain social amenities such as electricity and mobile phone networks to help support the application of whatever knowledge we receive.” TIN-SP5

“So far, for the training we were offered in soap-making and others, it is only one woman I have seen who implemented it. This is so because of material unavailability. To get the materials, we will have to travel to Yendi or Tamale; therefore, if a woman is not financially capable, she can’t do it.” ST-P4

“We need help of all kinds to be able to improve our own lives and the community.” N-SP1

“I think that financial aid is not adequate as once the money is finished, there is the need to beg for more.” ST-P2

Research shows that improving sustainability is critical in rural community projects (Cormican et al. 2021; Sawana and Nurhattati 2020), evidenced, for example, in the Mion district in Ghana’s northern region which is resource-deprived (Serbeh et al. 2015). To ensure resource availability and project sustainability, Nyeleka et al. (2019) recommended making crafts out of natural materials, which would relieve the stress of needing to pay money to sustain trades developed through knowledge-sharing programs. Also, instead of being required to use cement and blocks for building, which is expensive, rural women could utilize clay for their masonry work. Some participants proposed that the government should fund and motivate district assembly members to visit rural communities to ensure the sustainability of newly implemented ideas.

4.5 Education and Training

Education and training emerged as a key knowledge sharing strategy. From the interviews it was clear that several rural women desired informal training for themselves and formal education for their children. Many of the rural women interviewed believed that if their children had access to education, the subsequent generation of rural women would have a better standard of living than the previous one. Some of their responses are noted below:

“We lack knowledge and need training to be able to generate new ideas and improve our standard of living.” TIN-P6

“For the sake of the next generation, schools must be accessible for our children; otherwise, they will grow up dealing with the same struggles we do.” N-P5

“If the community has a school, the children can be educated. The river that separates this community from the next village with a school prevents my four children, who live with me, from going to school.” TIN-P8

“The women require extensive and ongoing instruction, because if you visit them only sometimes and then depart, they will quickly forget what you taught them. But if you keep going back to continue educating them, it will be a success.” ST-P4

The focus group discussions also affirmed that education and training are essential vehicles for sharing knowledge:

“Without any training, we will not know what is available elsewhere and we will continue to be ignorant.” TIN-SP2

“Some of us are old and cannot go to school, but educating our children will save the next generation of rural women.” TON-SP1

Observing the rural women revealed their level of ignorance regarding various poverty-eradication-related issues, such as child mortality, climate change, and alternative trades, thus corroborating the need for education and training as a poverty eradication strategy for rural women. Most participants acknowledged the need for both formal and informal education for themselves and their children, provided by specialized persons or organizations. The fact that rural women engage in subsistence farming and small income-generating occupations that yield little or no returns may be evidence of a lack of access to formal education and training (Fox et al. 2018; Franić and Kovačićek 2019; Perivoliotis-Chryssovergis 2006; Ugboma 2014; United Nations 2005).

4.6 Motivation/Empowerment

Motivation and empowerment also emerged as a strategy for poverty eradication of rural women in Ghana’s northern region, as was clear from the following responses:

“When you get the time, visit and empower the women on the importance of knowledge sharing.” N-P4

“I wish we had a vibrant resource person like you to inspire women on the importance of knowledge sharing.” TIN-P1

“Your types have to get people to take us through training on various aspects of poverty eradication until we are able to be free from poverty.” TIN-P4

Responses from the focus group discussions also indicated the need to motivate or empower rural women with regard to knowledge sharing:

“Since we don’t know anything, all we want is for any knowledgeable individual to come along and inspire us with new knowledge.” TON-SP1

It was observed that many participants were encouraged by the fact that the researchers were women and hoped to one day grow in confidence like them. Non-profit organizations that assist women’s empowerment, led by women, will provide protection, foster conversation, and elevate critical thinking about societal norms and gender (Ekström and Dagfalk 2020). Knowledge exchange in the form of mentorship and role-modelling provides rural women with the confidence to believe in their abilities (Eger, Miller, and Scarles 2018). Mentorship may take the form of enlisting the help of successful rural women in a municipality to share diverse skills with other rural women that will motivate them to escape poverty.

4.7 Navigating Political Differences

Another theme crucial in developing a knowledge sharing strategy was handling political differences. Findings from the interviews and observation are reported in the following responses:

“There is backbiting and politics both among the chiefs and us, the rural women, which discourages the sharing of knowledge and acceptance of new knowledge.” TON-P12

“In our village, when you are selected as a leader, other women think you have favour with one of the elders or chiefs.” TON-P2

“We go to every subcommittee and assembly meeting and make great plans, but when the money comes, they use it for what they want and forget the planned activities.” ST-P4

Political differences were observed among some rural women, as they tried to degrade peers in front of the interviewer – particularly those who are political representatives and leaders. Even though the interviewer made an effort to restrict the comments, one of these participants dragged out her interview for a long time, blaming other women.

4.8 Male Sensitization

Male sensitization also emerged as a knowledge sharing strategy for poverty eradication of rural women in the northern region of Ghana. When interviewed, most rural women noted how their husbands and some local leaders did not understand why they needed to meet as women, undergo training, or work in other crafts:

“Sometimes, our husbands do not allow us to participate in knowledge sharing groups. It would be good if another person can come and talk to the men and discuss things with them like you are doing for us.” N-P2

The researcher continued probing to learn how the rural women handled their circumstances. A participant mentioned that when women were aware of an upcoming soap-making training session, they would get up early to go to the farm as soon as possible and return, so that their husbands would be happy to permit them to attend the sessions:

“Sometimes, after dawn prayers, we leave very early and return before they are aware of it. Sometimes we just ask them to give us a chance.” N-P2

The focus group findings confirmed the need for male sensitization:

“We don’t have any freedom. If we dare to do something different, we have to beg the husbands to give us the opportunity.” N-SP1

From observing the body language of the heads of the different communities that were studied, it was clear that the males in the communities needed to be sensitized. Some men justified the practices that discriminate against rural women by citing local customs that support order in the community. It is worth noting that gender bias is an issue that continues to manifest itself in many different forms in different societies, but is usually seen in the perception that males and females are unequal and do not have equal access to opportunities and resources (Baada 2021; Bassey and Bubu 2019; Dash, Srinath, and Sadangi 2017). Therefore, male sensitization about the importance of knowledge sharing among women may help correct such perceptions among rural males and complement the efforts for poverty eradication of rural women. A gender-sensitization program for rural men could result in changes in male perceptions and actions (Dash, Srinath, and Sadangi 2017). Gender-equity campaigns, training, and courses for males in rural communities are all examples of possible sensitization programs that could be implemented.

4.9 Nationwide Dialogue and Publication

As reported in the following responses, the interview findings showed the need for nationwide dialogue and the publication of rural women’s issues.

“I pray that you share our problems so other people will hear about our problems and come to our aid” TIN-P9

“It is my hope that since you said you are a researcher, you would share our problems so that other people will know what we are going through.” TON-P6

“May God help you to come back here with help, so that some of our problems will be solved.” TON-P10

“My prayers are that your research will go far and people will come to our aid.” TON-P11

From the focus group statements, it was also clear that nationwide dialogue and the publication of issues relating to rural women would attract developmental stakeholders, which could help resolve some of the issues and make way for knowledge sharing success among rural women:

“Our problem is our road and school. We didn’t get the opportunity to be educated, so we plead with you to bring us help. Publish your findings so people across the world can know that we exist.”

The researcher also observed during the journey to the rural communities that many people in the nearest city of Tamale were unaware of the existence of the three studied communities. Several researchers have noted that if the fight against rural poverty is to be won, policy dialogue that actively empowers the poor and promotes their transition to active participation is required (Anderson and Kaur-Stubbs 2010; United Nations Women 2020; United Nations 2018; Verschueren et al. 2020). The United Nations (2013) reported an example of this, how poor Afro-Brazilian women battled for their right to land by creating a platform for dialogue between different stakeholders.

5.1 Knowledge Needs Assessment

The trend of any project, as well as its information and knowledge demands, resources, and knowledge flows, should be determined by a needs assessment of a specific poverty-eradication initiative (Fombad 2018). The needs assessment will ensure a fair selection of rural women from the communities, and the findings revealed that rural communities in the northern region of Ghana are not represented at the local, national, and international levels. The remoteness of the rural communities keeps them out of touch with the outside world, and thus away from access to information and knowledge. A needs assessment will determine the actual nature of the knowledge-sharing problem; it will seek to establish if these rural women are already sharing knowledge and identify their unique challenges, as well as if they have the right tools for knowledge sharing, overcoming any barriers from sharing knowledge, evaluating the techniques and strategies, among other things. The proposed needs assessment should be conducted in collaboration with a district assembly or other recognized authority to determine which communities are disadvantaged in terms of knowledge.

5.2 The Role of Stakeholders in the Development of Rural Women

Rural women and stakeholders should play a key role in devising policies that will improve livelihoods and in reforming unfavorable cultural behaviors that stifle knowledge sharing in the fight against poverty. For example, there is need for policies that will create awareness of knowledge sharing among rural women, polices that will redress gender discrimination (through gender-equity campaigns), and the compulsory use of information and communication technologies that may improve rural women’s daily activities. Stakeholders also have the responsibility to ensure the availability of appropriate infrastructure and social amenities such as access to electricity, pipe-borne water, accessible roads, schools for rural communities, and market access for rural women. The roles of stakeholders may also include nationwide dialogue and the publication of poverty-eradication concerns affecting rural women, as well as male sensitization to such issues. Stakeholder participation, trust, respect, and ongoing knowledge-sharing programs will make the process of indigenous knowledge adoption sustainable.

5.3 Knowledge Needs to be Created, Shared, and Utilized for Poverty Eradication

Knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge utilization among rural women are central to the proposed knowledge-sharing strategy for poverty eradication. This involves the introduction of new knowledge and frequent knowledge updates through knowledge-sharing tools and techniques to enrich knowledge sharing for poverty eradication among rural women. It also advocates for the need for the adoption, refinement, and repackaging of indigenous knowledge for local, national, and international acceptance so that it can compete with its technical/formal knowledge equivalents. It is worth noting that “repackaging” indigenous knowledge refers to the presentation of indigenous knowledge in more intelligible, acceptable, and useable forms, while “refining indigenous knowledge” refers to the removal of undesired aspects of the products (Mole, Ekwelem, and Din 2018).

Relying solely on providing exogenous knowledge to rural women will not be sustainable because of the lack of the necessary social amenities and resources in rural communities. Therefore, introducing new knowledge to refine, repackage, and sell indigenous-knowledge-based products would be a better long-term strategy to improve lives and assist rural women in eradicating poverty, as such efforts would make the products more presentable and thus marketable on national and international platforms.

5.4 Knowledge Sharing Tools and Techniques

The use of simple knowledge sharing tools and techniques will facilitate poverty eradication This may take the form of village and household meetings, peer collaboration, women’s groups, trade groups, storytelling, theatre and drama, peer assistance, expert visits, mobile phones projectors, community radios, flip charts, picture books, practical workshops and seminars, multi-stakeholder dialogues, sketches, graphic representations, and Communities of Practice. Basic ICT tools such as community radios assure sustainability.

5.5 Driving Elements for Sharing Knowledge for Poverty Eradication

The driving elements proposed in this strategy are literacy programs, appropriate leadership, stakeholder participation, trust and respect for culture, simple ICT technology, gender-equity campaigns, behavioral change, social amenities and resource availability, and ongoing knowledge sharing programmes. Given that most rural women are illiterate, literacy programs such as adult education and intensive workshops are essential. Knowledge sharing among rural women would also not be viable without competent leadership (Sayyadi 2019; Udin, Dananjoyo, and Isalman 2022).

Trust and respect for the culture, perspectives, and values of the members of the community when refining and repackaging indigenous knowledge for wider acceptance is important. Trust refers to a setting that allows rural women to openly express themselves and share their opinions. When rural women are confident that their ideas will not be exploited, they will be prepared to work hard and share what they know, so that progress can be made toward poverty eradication.

Gender-equity initiatives in rural regions entail rural women letting their male counterparts understand that “yes, I accept that I am not equal to you in our culture, but because I am weaker, give me more opportunities to speak, share my responsibilities, provide me with essential resources and empower me to thrive.” Notwithstanding the fact that gender-equality initiatives have grown in popularity, with the goal of rescuing women from their gender-bias challenges, gender equality remains a distant possibility for women in rural communities (United Nations Women 2022).

All the above initiatives to impart knowledge among rural women will fail unless behavior changes are cultivated and there is government by-in to provide leadership and support. Rural women may need to take charge of their lives and demonstrate a zeal and hunger for change. This passion will ensure punctuality at knowledge-sharing meetings, as well as a desire to learn and empower oneself in the fight against poverty. The government needs to assist in this by exhibiting leadership and support, such as through expanding access to social amenities and resources such as electricity, mobile phone networks, and access to pipe-borne water, as this will enable rural women to efficiently refine and repackage their products for sale.

The overall effect of this strategy is that it will result in knowledgeable rural women who are able to create, share, and utilize knowledge and become knowledgeable. This will result in the promotion of peace and unity, alternative businesses, shared wealth, community development and improvement, changed lives, freedom from financial hardship, freedom from spouse dependence, increased self-confidence, increased farm yields, employment opportunities, and, consequently, the eradication of poverty among rural women.