The Gender Gap

India is the second largest producer of the lychee fruit. But for the women producers tending lychee orchards in the state of Bihar, life was not so sweet. A notoriously difficult fruit to tend, harvest and get to market before it perishes, women in Muzaffarpur were accustomed to leasing their trees to middle-men. These middle-men would harvest the lychee, sell it, and pay the farmers a verbally agreed sum, capturing most of the fruit’s final value for themselves. Often, they only paid a fraction of the promised sum.

In 2016, TechnoServe launched an initiative to help women smallholder farmers participate more equitably in the fresh fruit market, known as the Women’s Advancement in Rural Development and Agriculture (WARDA) program. That’s where they met Chanda Devi.

30 years old and a mother of two, she is the Chairperson of the all-women farmer producer group Samarpan JEEViKA Mahila Kisan Producer Company Limited (SJMKPCL). She was elected to the post by a large majority in 2013 after working as a community mobilizer for over a year, facilitating eleven female self-help groups. Her role included helping them to keep accounts, and keeping them updated on improved farming practices.“When I was voted the Chairperson of the group, I was overwhelmingly happy,” says Chanda. “I never knew I was so liked by my women members. Everyone in my house – my husband, my mother-in-law – was very happy with this news. Being voted as the Chairperson brought along with it many responsibilities to be fulfilled.”

Now, Chanda is helping spearhead the program to ensure women are receiving the technical assistance they need to tend to their lychee trees themselves, allowing them to get the prices they deserve at the market.

“The farmers were unaware of the actual value of the fruit in consumer markets,” says Chanda. “That’s why they found it more convenient to lease their orchards out to middle-men than tending them all by themselves.”

SJMKPCL trained the women on how to irrigate at the right times to maximize soil moisture, to use crop protection products and take good care of the orchards. They were also taught a specific fertilizer regime, that would ensure the trees got the right type of fertilizer at the right time of year and in the right quantity, to promote optimum growth.

In addition, they signed 23 pre-harvest contracts with 130 women farmer members who produced 32 metric tons of lychee, which was sold to big buyers. The revenue generated by SJMKPCL has increased from 0.5 to 2.5 million Indian Rupees in 2017. Over 260 female farmers have been trained on orchard management practices.

Chanda herself knows the value that increased income can bring to a family. She first applied for her role as Community Mobilizer when her family was struggling to survive on her husband’s income from his one-hectare cereal farm. She attributes her success to the support of her family.

“Women, when given the right opportunities, are most likely to seize them and become successful at the same time,” she says. “The most important factor, however, in them being successful is the support from their family – especially her husband and in-laws.”

But the benefits do not end there.

“The women members who have benefitted from the group are now more vocal about their concerns that they face both at their homes and farms. They are more confident as they have learnt how small savings, when combined, can bring big fortunes.”

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

“South Asia has one of the lowest rates in the world of women’s participation in the labour force,” says Anja Rabezanahary, who works on gender and social inclusion at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“Less than 35 per cent of women are engaged in paid work. While agriculture employs over 60 per cent of the economically active women, they comprise only 35 per cent of the total agricultural labour force. Only 7 per cent of farm holders are women. Women are generally far less able to access extension services, credit and production assets.”

“Norms and traditions in South Asia still exclude women from profitable economic opportunities. From an early age, gender ratios are skewed owing to a continued preference for boys in society, at least in part because of the dowry system,” she adds.

“Women in South Asia are key actors in agricultural production and processing. However, value chain development activities can result in men taking over profitable activities performed by women, or confiscating the income these activities generate. Women’s decision-making power in the household is low compared to other Asian regions. For instance, only 57 per cent of women in the poorest quintile have some say in deciding on visits to relatives. The percentage is higher in richest quintile and goes up to 71 per cent.”

“More women like Chanda can be empowered. To do this, self-help groups need to be further strengthened to increase decision-making and economic power of women. The groups offer a safe place for discussion, and women hold control of working capital and profits, preventing them from appropriation by husbands and male relatives.”

“Second, women-specific value chains must be supported by providing microcredit, technical and social trainings to improve household-level gender relations.”

“Dedicated human resources for gender issues at IFAD have improved gender outcomes, advocacy and networking. For instance, in India, country-level gender coordinators have provided direct support to project design and supervision and convened annual gender network meetings of IFAD-funded project staff.”

SDGs covered:

Case study prepared by: TechnoServe
Commentary provided by: IFAD
Photo credits: Suzanne Lee

The Nou Forest in northern Tanzania covers 320 square kilometres. It is a source of 28 permanent rivers and directly affects the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, making its conservation vital.

Yet to cope with low productivity of land, farmers in Tanzania still turn to forest clearing to meet demand for food production. In the case of the Nou Forest reserve, this has led to soil erosion, silting and bank erosion of streams. Various tree species have also been threatened.

Joyce Lali, a 45-year-old mother of seven from Erri village, is working to ensure that the forest she derives her livelihood from stays intact.

She is the Secretary of the Erri Jigegemee Beekeeping Group that produces a wide range of food, health and beauty products from honey.

“Formerly, we didn’t know about the value of forests. We were cutting down trees and didn’t realise how important trees were. But then we started beekeeping and now we realise it is important for us to preserve the forest for the bees. Now we earn an income from forest products,” says Joyce.

Historically in this village, women were not economically active and were largely dependent on their husbands. While men have been involved in honey production in this area for years, they used traditional beehives suspended high in trees. Women were not able to take part as it was culturally unacceptable for them to climb trees.

The NGO Farm Africa has been working with the community in Erri village to earn money from the forest while protecting its resources for future generations. They introduced Langstroth beehives that sit on the ground, so women are now able to engage in honey production too.

“Before, we couldn’t speak in community meetings, but now we do,” says Joyce. “Before, we were oppressed by men and we didn’t earn any of our own money, we just stayed at home and looked after our children. Now women can participate in various meetings in the community, we have different groups and we learn from each other. Previously, it was chaos in the family because as a woman if I needed anything, even something really small, I had to request it from my husband. Now, I have my own money and I can buy the things I need myself.”

The group focuses on adding value to their honey, making products such as sesame and honey cakes, honey medicine, dried mushrooms, water, sesame tea, beeswax candles and face creams made from honey and seeds.

“The money I earn means I can send my children to school and I also save money by making products like soap, so I don’t have to buy them in the shops any more. We have been able to renovate our house. Previously we lived in a house with a thatched grass roof. Now we have a roof made from iron sheets. The major thing is that now we are able to pay our children’s school fees.”

The co-operative has constructed a marketing stall, which they take to exhibitions to market the products. Following discussions with Farm Africa about how certification of products can add value and open up access to wider market, the group is now investing in the construction of a new processing centre for their honey, so they can meet the standards set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards and the Tanzanian Food and Drugs Authority.

Their entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t stop there. Building on the success of the marketing skills they have learnt, Joyce and her team have now also started filtering and marketing mineral water. They have bought a water filtration system, which they use to filter water from the Nou Forest and sell locally to people needing water for events and celebrations such as weddings and communions.

“I send special appreciation to Farm Africa as an organization for making us women seen. Before, we were invisible in the community. They have helped us increase the value of females in the community,” says Joyce.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

“In Tanzania, it is estimated that the agricultural gender gap costs US$105 million annually,” comments Natalie Kostus, Executive Vice President of the International Alliance of Women.

“Across East Africa, women like Joyce are impacted every day by practices and beliefs that limit their access to productive opportunities and natural resources. They are perceived by the community to lack knowledge, skills, and strength to participate in forest programs.”

“In many cases, even if the national law grants land rights to women, traditional and customary practices preclude women from accessing, owning, and inheriting the land in this region. This puts women at risk of losing resources and benefits, such as payments for environmental services.”

“Women like Joyce need to have clear ownership rights to forests and forest land, necessary for the active socio-economic participation of women in forest management, conservation of biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and emerging opportunities, such as carbon trading.”

“It is also crucial they have productive work and financial security; raising their voice and power in household and community decision-making, organizing women’s groups supporting and learning from each other, accessing technology, and sending their children to school, benefiting the whole community. A needed initiative is training on women’s rights for women and men in the village, including traditional leaders. This will go a long way to closing the agricultural gender gap in East Africa.”

SDGs covered:

Case study prepared by: Farm Africa
Commentary provided by: International Alliance of Women
Photo credits: Farm Africa / Jon Spaull

In the Western Highlands of Huehuetenango and San Marcos in Guatemala, potato farmers have used recycled seed for generations, a tradition that is passed from father to son.

However, these recycled seeds are leaving crops susceptible to pests, diseases, and other viruses. Certified seed can triple potato yields and help farmers increase incomes from potatoes by up to 300 per cent. But convincing farmers of this remains a great challenge in the region.

Griselda Velazquez is taking the lead in making sure that better seeds are available to create a better future for these potato farmers. She is responsible for the production of certified potato seeds at the Guatemalan company Servicios de Post-Cosecha, managing a team tasked with seed reproduction and transplanting of plantlet. As team leader, she oversees quality checks to ensure consistent seedling production and multiplication.

“The market continually demands higher quality products, so the demand for certified seed is increasing too, so that farmers can improve production and raise their incomes,” comments Griselda.

When she was hired, she was the only woman working at Post-Cosecha, and soon became faced with colleagues who believed a woman could not handle this type of technical work.

“Only men worked in planting, cutting, or transplanting, and they believed that when this work was done by a woman, the plants were more likely to die.”

Griselda overcame this challenge through openly but assertively communicating with her team. She organized a meeting with her group that allowed space for a dialogue. She explained that she was going to lead the group, and needed respect in exchange. After the dialogue, the group better understood that women had the right to be leaders, to express their opinions, and to conduct managerial and technical work. Now, there is another full-time woman and five temporary ones.

“We are showing that women can break gender stereotypes related to agriculture through direct training in the fields, and our work introducing quality seeds,” Griselda says.

“Because of the Guatemalan culture to pass seeds from father to son, it is hard for women to get good quality seed. We are now introducing good quality seeds to organisations, and particularly women farmers.”

Griselda’s boss, Andres, has been a supportive mentor since day one. He provided her with recommendations on how to handle the early resistance from her team and used his authority to lend her greater credibility with skeptical groups. He placed his trust in her and encouraged her professional growth and supported her as a leader.

“I encourage rural women to break those gender stereotypes, and overcome these challenges in agriculture,” says Griselda.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

“As the former President of Costa Rica, Mrs. Laura Chinchilla once said, there is no social sector more invisible, less understood and less served, than that of rural women, despite the vital role they play in our rural communities,” says Miguel García-Winder of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

“Several estimations indicate that rural women in Latin America and the

Caribbean (LAC) are responsible for the production of approximately 45 per cent of the food consumed by rural households in the region. Additional to their role as producers, they have important roles selling surplus produce and running their homes, as well as beingcommunity leaders, mothers and wives,” he adds.

“To add to this, rural women in LAC confront other obstacles that limit their development and prevent the full expression of their productive capacity. One of the most important challenges is the access to education. For example in Guatemala, more than 60 per cent of rural women dedicated to agriculture cannot read or write. There are countries in the region that have been able to bridge this gap, Chile is probably the best example where this percentage is only 6.7.”

“Inequality in labour conditions and access to work opportunities; lack of access to productive inputs, particularly to land ownership; and insufficient access to credit all limit the development of women in the rural areas of LAC. These challenges have resulted in increased migration to urban areas, particularly by young women, where they become prone to exploitation and in several cases to new forms of slavery.”

“Griselda’s story show us how powerful providing education, productive opportunities and the development of leadership abilities can be. However, it also points to probably the most critical issue, which is the need to transform old cultural and socio-economic norms and patterns.”

“Public policies to improve extension services are needed, and better education and labour markets are needed too. But what we need the most is to recognize that women and men are equal, that they deserve the same rights, the same treatment, the same opportunities. LAC needs a new generation of women like Griselda, but also needs a new generation of men that work side by side, equal with women, to make this a better world and to preserve our mother Earth for future generations.”

SDGs covered:

Case study prepared by: Fintrac
Commentary prepared by: IICA