INVESTING IN RURAL WOMEN: An investment in a whole community

International Day of Rural Women15 October 2016

Rural women farmers in Kano, Nigeria, are being trained in technologies to enhance the sorghum value chain. They are trained in using sorghum in making bakery products like cakes, biscuits and bread, in producing bio-charcoal, and learning about food safety practices, hygiene, sanitation, and entrepreneurship.

This builds their capacity to fulfil the objective of Nigeria Sorghum Transformation Value Chain (STVC) in reducing poverty, improving food security, nutrition and health of women and children.

Enhancing the sorghum value chain in Nigeria

Reaping the benefits of improved finger millet in Western Kenya

The demand for finger millet in Kenya is on the increase and women are benefiting from this trend.

“Ever since the scientists introduced us to the new varieties and showed us how to take good care of the crop, we have seen a big difference in production. In the past, we could harvest only 2-3 bags but now we harvest up to 10 bags per acre,” says Ms Jennifer Amwait Omuse, a farmer in Busia County, Western Kenya.

The work is part of the HOPE project supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Watershed project in India shows the way

The watershed project in Dungaria village, Madhya Pradesh, India, has not only helped women farmers to conserve rain water, grow new crops and better crops but has also brought a transformation in their thinking.

By sacrificing an acre for a pond, Janki Bai was able to provide benefits to herself and her neighbors too.

The watershed initiative ushered in many changes: availability of water throughout the year through rainwater harvesting ponds has led farmers to grow water-intensive crops like rice during the rainy season and crops like pigeonpea, chickpea, lentils, soyabean, etc., in the postrainy season.

The first machine harvestable chickpea variety derived from a cross between an ICRISAT line ICCV 2 and a local line PDG 84-16 is women friendly.

Machine harvesting is better for the health of the laborers, especially women, as handling the crop causes painful dermatitis due to its high acid content. This innovative variety was developed to address the issue of labor shortage on farms and reduce drudgery, especially for women laborers.

Women-friendly machine harvestable chickpea variety

Low reproductive rates, high mortality, poor condition and breeds of animals in Zimbabwe resulted in low market prices.

Adopting an Innovation Platforms approach with emphasis on establishing functional markets and improving mortality rate, working along the value chain and addressing challenges such as dry season feed, animal housing and veterinary issues challenges was the answer.

Developing functional goat markets in Zimbabwe

Locally manufactured mobile chaff cutters are helping farmers tackle the problems of fodder storage and disposal in Mali. The chaff cutters chop one cartload of fodder in 30 minutes compared to the manual process that takes one person an entire day. The cutter chops crop stalks and grasses and turns it into fodder for cattle, sheep and goats.

This opens up avenues for efficient fodder trading, conservation, storage and convenient handling. These are being introduced in the Africa RISING program in Mali through the USAID Feed the Future initiative..

Mobile chaff cutters open up avenues for fodder storage and handling

From selecting crop varieties that met their requirements to updating farming and business skills through trainings on improved crop and seed production practices, women farmers in Vietnam play a key role in improving the productivity and sustainability of rainfed agriculture..

Developing on-farm practices and technologies

Ms Sheela Sikandur from Raichur, Karnataka, India, adopted the integrated farming approach and diversified multiple cropping system to convert her barren field into a profitable business model.

Today, her net income from the land is ₹120,000 ($1,888) per year. Trained women farmers add to their income by adopting eco-friendly ways – enriching the soil by recycling farm waste through vermicomposting, raising Gliricidia nurseries for organic fertilizer and managing water resources. .

Managing water resources and improving soil

Woman farmers in Malawi are using a locally fabricated 'A-frame' groundnut stripper to separate the pods from the plant. This has meant saying goodbye to drudgery.

The stripper is three times faster compared to hand stripping and is more efficient than the manual process. It was developed through a consortium which included Compatible Technology International (CTI), Minnesota; Department of Agriculture Research Services (DARS), Malawi; and ICRISAT.

Technologies reduce drudgery in Malawi

Tribal farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, have for the first time cultivated groundnut on their lands, leading to improved incomes. They earned about ₹ 87,500 (US$1,291) to ₹ 125,000 (US$1,845) per ha while they spent on an average ₹ 8,000 (US$117) to ₹ 10,000 (US$147).

With technical inputs and training under the Rythu Kosam project of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, women farmers successfully produced foundation seeds from the breeder seeds of improved groundnut varieties provided by ICRISAT.

Tribal farmers gain more income from groundnut

In Niger the major producers and processors of groundnut are women. Now they are also major marketers, thanks to the facilitators who motivated seed companies to sign contracts with women’s associations.

More than 27 farmer association seed producers, totaling 640 women in the Dosso region of Niger have benefitted from access to modern varieties, training in seed production technologies, and access to inputs (varieties, good quality seed and fertilizers) through the Tropical Legumes II project.

The market savvy seed producers of Niger

Food tasting is vital for producing and marketing the correct products. A new variety has to also perform well in the family kitchen to be adopted. For instance in Mali, the sorghum Tô (traditional porridge recipe) has to have the right color, consistency and taste. Being responsible for household nutrition, women are leading the culinary testing.

Culinary testing suits the Malian culture well, as meals are generally shared collectively and the building of social links is important.

Women lead in culinary testing of sorghum tô

In West Africa, the Imagery for Smallholders – Activating Business Enterprises and Leveraging Agriculture (ISABELA) initiative promotes the use of imagery by smallholder farmers and intermediaries to make agriculture a profitable undertaking.

The project aims to tackle lack of transparent land tenure information services, which deters investment by smallholders and puts them at a disadvantage vis-à-vis urban and international investors and the inability to cost-effectively predict and value seasonal agricultural production.

Using ICT to make farming profitable

Labor and time use analysis in agriculture and related activities informs us that rural women spend almost double the number of hours per hectare on agriculture activities either on their own farms or as paid labor.

Increased number of women in agriculture both as producers and or labor is bought about by technological change, changes in cropping pattern and diversification of income sources including rural out migration. All of these lead to change in the traditional gender division of farm work. This is confirmed from the micro-level evidences from the Village Dynamics Studies in Asia.

Studies give insights into feminization of agriculture

To improve the nutritional status of women in the reproductive age and children below five years, an awareness drive under the Smart Food campaign has been launched in selected counties in Kenya.

The aim is to promote increased consumption of nutrient dense, drought tolerant crops (sorghum, millets, pigeonpea, groundnut, cowpea and green gram) and appropriate dietary practices in the project areas using social behavior change communication approaches.

Improving nutrition of women/children via behavior change communication

Developing on-farm practices and technologies in Nepal

Scientists and extension workers are seeking the participation of women in devising on-farm strategies.

Women farmers in Nepal formed 12 community-based seed production groups. They were supplied seed and storage bins. They were trained in preparation of snacks and provided bag-sealers, plastic bags and other equipment needed to start a mini agro-enterprise.

Farm practices such as Integrated Pest Management, promotion of micronutrient-rich lentil lines, and intercropping of maize with groundnut and pigeonpea was also introduced.

Bridging the agriculture-nutrition information gap

Critical data can help in better understanding of agriculture-nutrition linkages, in analyzing nutritional trends and how agriculture can play a vital role in improving the diet quality of women and children and in reducing micronutrient deficiencies like anaemia.

Village-level surveys are providing data and insights into anthropometric and dietary diversity indicators to fill this agriculture nutrition information gap.

Building efficiencies across the supply chain, from input supply to marketing, is key to achieving success.

Agricultural Inputs Fairs in Nigeria provide farmers with good quality inputs (improved seed varieties, agro chemicals and equipment), at affordable prices from genuine sources, and link them to agricultural extension services.

Building efficient supply chains in Nigeria

On-farm and off-farm diversification help women from Siyalwada village in Madhya Pradesh withstand the shocks of climate change.

Through the self-help group (SHG) that’s part of the watershed initiative, Hari Bai availed a loan of Rs 2,000 (US$ 32) in 2010, to buy her first goat. She now has ten goats. The SHG also brought out the leader in her – she is the president of Shiv SHG in Siyalwada village.

Climate-smart women of Madhya Pradesh, India

Following the capacity building and technical support provided under different projects (including HOPE) and run by ICRISAT and partners in Falwel region in Niger, Mrs Kouli Djibo has became a millet seed certified seed producer and seller.

“Previously, I could barely get 50 head-bundles of millet,” says this millet, cowpea and sesame producer. “But thanks to the knowledge I acquired during farmers field schools and testing trials, I am now able to harvest 100–120 millet head-bundles per hectare.”

Farmer field schools make a huge difference in Niger

ICRISAT and partners have, in the last 13 years, successfully built women community-based groundnut seed systems in Wakoro, Mali. Individual farmers and women’s groups have been empowered and trained in seed production and small-scale business skills and marketing, and are now producing good quality certified groundnut seed.

As a result, farmers now have access to good quality seed leading to production of good quality grains. This work has benefited from the support of various projects (including of the Tropical Legumes and the groundnut upscaling project funded by USAID).

Building community-based groundnut seed systems

In Nigeria as part of a groundnut up scaling project, ICRISAT and the Agricultural research institute (IAR) have partnered to release groundnut improved varieties SAMNUT 23 and SAMNUT 24.

To add value to the produce, WOFAN is now working with women groups to try out progressive technologies that can ease their work burden in extracting groundnut oil, which is then sold into the market to earn money. Also, ‘Kuli Kuli’ a very nutrition groundnut product based is produced and consumed within the community, sold in the markets and used in industries and poultry feed.

Working with women’s groups to tryout progressive technologies

Thank You