MEDA Afghanistan Through the Garden Gate Project - Growing ...

MEDA Afghanistanand Afghan Women BusinessCouncilTHROUGH THE GARDEN GATEPROJECT

About AWBC• AWBC is a non-profit, nonpoliticaland independentprivate sector women'sorganization that works toconnect member association’sindividual members to technicalassistance, economicdevelopment and internationalbusiness opportunities.• AWBC was established onOctober 3, 2003 thru thefinancial and technical supportof UN Development Fund forWomen (UNIFEM).

AWBC Objectives• Building the capacity of Afghanbusiness women to haveaccess to international markets.• Providing both short and longtermeducational opportunitiesfor women both in basicbusiness skills as well asformal education.• Creating a network of women’sbusiness associations andcollaboration with internationalassociations that can provideexpertise to Afghan women.

AWBC Objectives• Working in collaboration withgovernment to address issuesof concern to Afghan women.• Building the technical capacityof Afghan women to start,manage and sustain businessenterprises.• Assisting women in identifyingnew domestic and internationalmarkets.

Through the Garden Gate Project withMEDA Afghanistan (2007-2011)

The CHALLENGE• War-ravaged land• Farming knowledge lost• Lack of technologies– Irrigation– Storage– Processing• Immobility• Lack of market access• Lack of capital• illiteracy

The POTENTIAL• Renewed andbountiful harvests– Food security– Surplus for markets• Market linkages• Womenempowerment– Community– household

The PROJECTWith funding from the CanadianInternational DevelopmentCorporation (CIDA) and byworking closely with ourpartners and AfghanWomen’s Business Council,MEDA dedicated team will:• Introduce basic horticulturaltechniques andtechnologies;• Connect the women toquality input supplies,microfinance, as well assuitable markets for theirproduce.

The PARTNERSHIP… in partnership with MEDA and AfghanWomen Business Council (AWBC) …

Our AREAWe will be working in the province of Parwan,in the Central Region of Afghanistan …

Our TARGET… reaching 2,250 women and 10,000 of their family members inthe introduction of basic horticultural techniques and technologies;and to connect the women to quality input supplies, microfinance,as well as suitable markets for their produce

The Project ConceptValue Chain ActivitiesCIDAMEDAAWBCHorticulture ActivitiesWomen’s economic gainswill benefit themselves,their families, and theircommunity.

Our Program Approach

Our StrategiesWorking with existingcommunity structures –Community DevelopmentCouncils or the “womenshuras”.Encouraging grass-rootsengagement in decisionmakingfor horticulturalimprovements.

Our StrategiesFacilitating socially acceptablelinkages to quality inputsupplies, and marketchannels.Building the capacity andlinking support services andvalue chain actors – e.g.suppliers, technicaladvisors, microfinanceinstitutions, wholesalers,retailers.

Our StrategiesOpen and transparent dialoguewith our clients, staff,partners, governmentbodies, NGOs,the general public inAfghanistan and Canada.

Project ResultsCommunity Mobilization:• Identified 6 villages in Parwan.• Provided orientation to thevillage CDCs – both men andwomen.• Organized 10 groups with 25women-members for each ofthe 6 villages for a total of 60groups and 1500 womenfarmersas of Year 2.

Project ResultsCommunity Mobilization:• Identified one (1) VillageFacilitators and ten (10) LeadFarmers in each of the 6villages, for a total of 6Village Facilitators and 60Lead Farmers.• Provided training onSavings and Credit GroupFormation.• All groups started mobilizingsavings from their farmermembers.• Started Literacy Courses thevillages.

Project ResultsHorticulture:• MEDA hired 3 female HorticultureExtensionists for the project.• Each Lead-Farmer have their owngarden for planting anddemonstration. There are a total of60 demonstration plots in the 6villages.• Demo plots planted with MEDArecommended crops - cucumber,carrots, tomatoes and onions.• Lead Farmers receive technicaltrainings from MEDA HorticultureManager and Extensionists.• Lead-Farmers provide all theirwomen-farmers the trainings theyhave received.

Project ResultsHorticulture:• Lead Farmers receive training onseedling production and basicgreen house technology.• Village Facilitators and LeadFarmers receive training onParticipatory TechnologyDevelopment Training.• A technical training book wasmade which includes all of thetrainings provided by MEDA. Thebook is fully illustrated and writtenin local language. There is plan toalso distribute it to men.

Project ResultsBusiness Development Unit:• Hiring of BDU staff.• Conducted a study on theidentification and selection of MFIproviders for our women-farmers.• Market research on input suppliersin Kabul and Parwan.• Linkage to identified input supplierand facilitation of the procurementof farmers’ input supply needs.• Identification and linkages withbuyers in Kabul – wholesalers &retailers.• Exposure trip to Bamyan to seestorage facility and potato seedvarieties available.

Project ResultsBusiness Development Unit:• Study on Storage Facility includingfinancial requirements presented topossible investor in the village.• Conducted Food ProcessingTraining among all field staffs andfarmer-members.• Conducted market research toidentified crops.• AWBC with the Village Facilitatorsparticipated in the Agricultural Fairin Kabul.• Participate in the Making MarketsWorking Group – network of NGOsengaged in Economic Dev’t.• Developed agriculture loan on inputsupplies with Women for WomenMFI.

Plans for Next YearAWBC and Community Organizing:• Assessment of 3 new villages identified.• Increase farmer-groups from 60 to 90. Womenfarmersfrom 1500 to 2250.• Introduce Literacy Course in the earlyintervention of the project in the new villagesidentified.• Continue coordination with MEDA throughregular meetings and feedback.• Strengthen savings mobilization among groups.