Empowering women through value chain development - IPMS ...

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Non commodity specific strategiesThe findings of the genderanalysis were developed intogender commodity fact sheets 1 andcirculated widely. Ideas sheets 2were developed providing a menuof options to address the identifiedconstraints in increasing women’sparticipation in market-orientedagricultural production.Realising that the awarenessand skills of woreda and kebelelevel MoARD staff was criticalfor integrating gender in theseefforts, a series of woreda levelworkshops were held to highlightthe issues from the genderanalysis as a prelude to taking upgendered PLW action plans. Itwas observed that the front levelworkers (Development Agents)had minimal exposure to theskills required for effectivelyintegrating gender into theirwork, training was designedand delivered to enhance theircapacity in this aspect, focusing onpractical tools that they could usefor this purpose, including somemonitoring tools.Increase women’s access toknowledge and skills aboutmarket-oriented agriculturalproduction, services andinputsAs mentioned, before access toinformation for women is limitedand therefore the project designedvarious strategies which openup options to increase women’saccess to information, knowledgeand specific skills in commoditydevelopment chains. Becausethe project strongly believed that1 http://www.ipms-ethiopia.org/Focus-Area/Gender/Fact-Sheet/adaa-Liben.asp2 http://www.ipms-ethiopia.org/content/files/Documents/publications/Gender/IPMS%20ideas%20sheet%20for%20gender%20mainstreaming%20in%20PLW%20activities_English%20Nov%202007.docprovision of the necessaryknowledge and skills is a centralcomponent for increasingproductivity and effectivemarketing.The basic strategy used by IPMSto increase women’s participationin knowledge sharing and capacitybuilding activities like training,field visits and other interventionsin value chain development wasto set a target of 50% for theirparticipation. During the projectimplementation (2006-2010), about36% of women farmers from FHHand MHH were reached throughthe capacity building activities inproject sites. Targeting womenmeans empowering them fortheir economic independence andenhancement of their participationin social and economicdevelopment of their communities.Importance of venue and timingof trainingWomen are not only the majorsource of labour in the agriculturalsector and contributor forcommunity related activities butthey are also responsible for thevital household tasks such as caringof children, cooking, fetching waterand fuelwood and cleaning thehouse as part of their householdresponsibilities. The genderbaseline survey revealed also thatwomen are responsible for manytasks and they work for 10-12hours per day both in the wet anddry seasons. So it is very importantto consider their daily calendar toidentify the most convenient timeand place while organizing thetraining.Unlike the conventional extensionapproaches, the project deliveredthe trainings in a place near totheir village selected by the womenthemselves, in the case of Dale,Goma, Ada, Atsbi, Alamata,Fogera and Bure. This strategyenabled a larger number of womento attend trainings comfortably.Most trainings were also hands-onincluding practical demonstrations,rather than theoretical orconceptual exposures, which washighly appreciated by the trainees.Couples trainingIt is often assumed that there isa trickle down of information,ideas, skills and knowledge fromhusbands to wives. This led towomen, particularly the marriedones, not being invited to trainings,meetings and other similar fora.Considering this problem, theproject adopted an innovativetraining approach called ‘couplestraining’.‘Couples’ training’ is an approachwhere both husbands and wivesare trained together. It widensopportunities for women to getthe necessary information, skillsand knowledge for the productionand marketing of agriculturalcommodities. Partners alsounderstand, assist and appreciateeach other technically so that theygradually build up their knowledgetogether, thereby overcoming theweakness of relying on husbandsto pass information to their wivesafter training. It helps womenstrengthen their role in decisionmakingin the household regardingwhich technologies to use andwhich marketable commoditiesto produce. It also helps breakingtaboos about the traditional genderdivision of labour and contributesto bringing about gender equality(N. Alemayehu, RDO and H.Gudeta, RDA, Ada’a Liben PLW).4
Experience SharingExperience sharing events arepowerful tools to spread newtechnologies among farmers andeffective ways of demonstratingnew ways of producing andmarketing of certain commoditiesand, inspiring women to adoptnew ways of working. IPMSexperiences showed that studytours and field days enabled manywomen to become aware of,adopt, manage and master newtechnologies successfully.Access to other inputs andservicesAccess to capital is one of the majorconstraints that hinders womenentrepreneurs from adopting newenterprises and technologies whichrequire investments. Though anumber of affirmative policiesare in place in the micro-financeorganizations to provide creditservices to women, but in practicemany women could not be benefitfrom the opportunity as the microfinancedemands feasible andviable project proposals which canensure repayment by the women.IPMS project together with therespective OoARD in the PLWsassisted the community includingwomen in the preparation of thecredit proposals that could helpthe women access loans to engagein the business. In addition, manywomen refrain from taking loansas they feel their knowledge andskills will not enable them tocommercialise their productionand earn profit. Recognizing theseissues, IPMS tried to reach out towomen through innovative creditscheme 3 , which was administeredthrough the existing microfinanceorganizations in the area toinstitutionalize the innovativecredit scheme to ensure thesustainability of the approaches;Kassu, Bure: Visiting IPMS sitesThrough IPMS I have attended training infruit nursery grafting (along with 10 men)and have received fruit scions and pepperseedlings for demonstration purposes. I alsohad the chance to join an experience sharingvisit when 10 of us (three women and sevenmen) travelled for 14 days through Ethiopia,visitingIPMS sites in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia andSNNPR. The trip was like a dream. I didnot imagine I would ever have the chance to visit these places, givenmy current status as a widow. I had been out of Bure woreda only oncebefore, to Bahir Dar. On this trip I saw many things that I want tofollow up: poultry, fruit and vegetables. I have already adopted some ofideas I have seen, such as urban agriculture techniques.examples are credit providedto women for pullet productionand marketing in Dale, smallruminant fattening in Miesso andGoma.Access to input and outputmarketsTechnology and inputs utilizationprovide an opportunity to improveenterprises led by women, leadingto increases in production, toproduce new or different productswith higher value added, or toproducts of higher quality (Everts1999). Such improvement couldlead to higher profits and to greatersecurity and autonomy for women.3The innovation credit fund finances innovations in production,input supply, technologies and services not normallycovered by the existing lending institutionsWomen generally faced a lot ofdifficulties with purchasing inputsand the negotiation processesthereof. IPMS tried to createlinkages amongst input suppliers(private or co-operatives) andwomen and men farmers in therespective PLWs, along with theprovisions of necessary trainingand credit. In Goma, womenengaged in sheep fattening werelinked with feed suppliers; inDale poultry rearing women werelinked with buyers; fruit seedlingproducers in Goma, Dale and Burewere linked with farmers, dairyfarmers in Alamata and Ada werelinked with dairy cooperatives,Miesso goat fattening groupslinked with market.Identification and promotionof technologies suitable forwomenCulturally, important households’resources such as land, tractionanimals and farm implementsare entitled to men. Women arealso traditionally prohibited toperform cultivation using animaltraction. As a consequence, femaleheaded households who ownfarm land with traction animalsto draw the plough have to eitherhire male labour for cash orexchange their oxen for labour toproduce agricultural products. Itis therefore important to tacklesuch cultural barriers through theidentification and promotion ofappropriate technologies.Conservation tillageAll land in Bure and Metemaworedas is ploughed three to fourtimes prior to planting, using apair of oxen, and followed by afinal ploughing to cover the sownseeds. Usually, the head of thehousehold ploughs and anotherman broadcasts the seed. Majorityof the female headed households5
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