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Portrait de Beatrice Mugo
Beatrice
Mugo
Agriculture

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Soumis par Beatrice Mugo le dim, 16/07/2017 - 13:40

 

 

The main challenges to gender equality in agriculture finance.

  1. Women lack collateral for security such as lack land compared to men who own land. Unlike men women do not inherit land and have little purchasing power or resource to improve on their livelihood.
  2. Agriculture production requires capital which women lack to produce quality products. And their production focus on family needs.
  3. Mostly women earn wages they do unskilled labor in the farms. The reproductive work which takes a lot of man hours is not measured or paid yet its important in the community. In GDP the house hold income is not included when computing National income it shows women do not work. In leadership/managerial positions in finance dockets and also decision making on finance are mainly led by men in Kenya. Ministry of finance in Kenya has never been lead by women.
  4. Water projects need large investment on irrigation and water supply this limit production as women rely on rainfall and production is hindered by dry weather experienced due to climate change.
  5. Due to limitation of finance agricultural production is not mechanized and production levels are low resulting low income.
  6. At household level women maybe harassed by men after taking a loan and the man may disappear with the money leaving the woman to repay with no investment.

Involvement of African Development Bank and other stakeholders' engagement in addressing the gender gap in agriculture finance.
The Development Finance Institutions play great role in support of women mainly in capacity building for agricultural development in a country. They also support their members with advisory services in order to grow their business.

Kenya government offer support women with Women Enterprise Fund (WEF). Through the government they give loans and grants to members for starting and operating business especially in agriculture. Youth Fund also offers loans to young farmers and entrepreneurs. They support women where the loan repayment rates are friendly to their business or favour low income earners. Provide new technologies, farm inputs and capital support to women in agriculture production.
This has promoted gender equality and has empowered women improving on their agriculture production and income reducing poverty.

How the Bank addresses the challenges of women in Agriculture Finance
The Development Finance Bank and other finance institution should ensure funds are available to women and youth for investment. These Institutions should work in support of women in the country so as to uplift the standards of living.

For women entrepreneurs to improve in agriculture there is need to develop financial packages that are factor women in development agriculture for high value crops and livestock production. The Development Finance institution and government need to develop a variety of guarantee schemes that would address the risks that may arise with such packages along different agriculture value chains.

The goal of this bank should remain focused on eradication of poverty and empower families through women in development. This in turn will reduce rural-urban migration in search of employment among women and youth in the country.

Experiences and lessons that could be used to address buttress the effectiveness of banks intervention in agriculture finance.
The African Development Bank may upscale agriculture production for women by providing of Grants/loans, machinery, tools and equipments for value addition to support women. This support should go in line with high value crops depending on enterprise choice.

Kenya Women Finance Trust is rated among the largest in supporting women in Africa offering loans whereby women and youth are able obtain funds for their business with affordable interest rates for agriculture development.

The sector may also provide private-public partnerships to improve agriculture value chains for quality products as per agro-ecological zones.

Application of 1/3 rule involvement of women in decision making in agriculture development activities by government and all stakeholders

Improving the marketing system and infrastructure ensuring quality products are available to consumers and better returns. Empowering women on finance so as to upscale agriculture production for improved productivity and product for better market prices and income reducing poverty for the community

bwg

Soumis par Beatrice Mugo le ven, 07/07/2017 - 14:45

 

 

The challenges to women engagement in priority value chains, agribusiness and industries including value addition and commercialization of agricultural products include the below:

Gender disparities in agri-business

  • Women are doers of work; while men are owners of business and of the income generated.
  • Women lack access to factors of production in agribusiness compared to men
  • Men inherit resources from parents; but women are disadvantaged in land and assets inheritance or business ending up in small temporary business.

Challenges women face in Agri- business

  1. Low investment irrigation and water supply may limit production as they rely on rainfall.
  2. Lack of sufficient innovations to women relying on tradition labour-based production and value addition techniques men use machinery.
  3. Women concentrate on narrow range of agricultural commodities mainly staple crops for house hold production for men focus more on market or export.
  4. Women lack storage store, coolers houses and processing plants required for efficient operation of value chains.
  5. Lack of knowledge/ Information technology by the women as compared to men
  6. Women have limited resource for processing branding quality certification and  accreditation of agriculture products resulting in low returns and income
  7. Value chains for commodities are long and un-transparent with many players making them inefficient and do not favor women.
  8. Women lack information especially on digitalization of agricultural production and marketing of produce and products.
  9. Low value addition as there is little on-farm and off-farm processing of agricultural produce leading to low market prices. Heavy loss on  horticultural produce at farm level

(ii) Involvement of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) including AfDB and other development partners supported women engaged in Agribusiness sub-sector
Development Finance Institutions involvement in support of women mainly in capacity building.
In Kenya for example we have Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) where through the government they give loans and grants to members for starting and operating business especially in agriculture. Youth Fund also offers loans to young farmers and entrepreneurs. They also support their members with advisory services in order to grow their business. This has promoted gender equality and has empowered women meeting the goal in the millennium development goals.
The support is given to women where they loan repayment rates are friendly to support their businesss. 

(iii)Bank address the challenges of women in Agribusiness
Development Finance Institutions involvement in support of women in Kenya includes: Kenya Women Finance Trust is among the largest support women in Africa offering biashara loans, mwamba loans and mwangaza loans whereby girls and women are able obtain funds for their business with affordable interest rates and entrepreneurs are able to advance loans in order to acquire machinery and agricultural assets such as land.
The goal of this bank is to eradicate poverty and empower families through women. This in turn will reduce rural-urban migration in search of employment among women and youth.

(iv) Empowering Novel Agri- business-Led Employment) Youth initiatives, be used to support gender equality in Agri-business.
Empowering community (women and Youth) through crops value chains like value addition, certification and compliance to Global Good Agricultural Practices(GAP) or Kenya GAP . Small holder farmers will benefit from Horticultural crops trials, demonstrations and commercialization of chilies, tomatoes, passion fruit, mangoes, paw paws, butternuts, pulses and Asian vegetables. This activity has a high potential for a strong positive impact on women and youth who are more than 50% of the targeted beneficiaries for income generation and poverty reduction through agribusiness.

(V) Success stories on empowering women in agribusiness, industries and markets that can be upscale by AfDB.
Empowering women in agribusiness along postharvest value chain of agriculture products may improve income at farm level.
Women in Eastern/Meru are fully involved in marketing of banana crop which has improved the livelihood of many.
Banana marketing in the country can be improved by proper postharvest handling, sorting, ripening, packaging and transportation to the consumer.
Capacity building of Women and youth on importance of improved postharvest technologies of bananas would improve the market price and returns per given area and community at large. Along postharvest is also value addition of bananas to various products like banana flour, banana crisps, banana drink and other backed products.

The African Development Bank may upscale these areas by providing of grants/loans, machinery, tools and equipments for value addition to support women. This support should go in line with high value crops grown depending on enterprise choice.

bwg

Soumis par Beatrice Mugo le dim, 25/06/2017 - 12:21

 

 

GENDER GAPS IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY

  • Gender is socially constructed role of men and women, which vary from one society to the other
  • Its determined by socio-cultural orientations of a Community
  • We become men and women through a process of socialisation in our society.

GENDER ROLES:

  • Productive roles - Has monetary gain crops production, livestock production.
  • Reproductive roles - To nurture the family eg cooking, nursing, cleaning  with no monetary gain
  • Community roles - Social roles - Engaging in religious matters, burial, circumcision, Female Genital Mutilation, wedding, harambee etc.

GENDER GAPS
Gender based inequalities in access and control of productive and financial recourses inhibits agriculture productivity and reduces food security. Where the society is taking leading role in participation of all gender in agriculture production better returns are achieved.

Agricultural activities are mainly undertaken by women and children while men are mostly decision makers and managers.

  • Women are over burdened by reproductive roles ; but men enjoy leisure times
  • Men are more involved in commercial crop production while women in subsistence crop production.
  • Men dispose or sell farm produce and control the produce income.
  • Old men own land which can be inherited when he’s dead while women follow instruction/decision made by men.
  • Women interplay  between achievement of Household food security, investment and savings.
  • Human dignity and value is defined in terms of economical well being unequal power relationships which exist between men and women in agriculture.

Gender inequality is reflected in agriculture policy strategies and programs which favor men.

Policies should address Empowerment of women, agriculture productivity and economic growth be integrated to improve the well being of community.

 Economically

  • Traditional male-female power imbalance makes it harder for women to own land and other assets, obtain adequate education and employment
  • Agricultural casual labor costing  in man hours( Kshs 350/ =day  for man and 250/=/day for  Woman)
  • Men easily access and take control of capital assets - land, labour, funds, equipments, tools (knapsack) etc
  • Men makes most decisions and are group leaders while women follow decisions made; In the farm business, coffee societies etc.
  • Men participation mostly in agri-business while women are after food for the family

Environmentally

  • Men decide on environmental conservation measures in Agro enterprises in the farm.
  • They undertake erection of structure, water harvesting devices, cooking devices and fuel supply. Women may be involved in nursery management in the business yet men do the sale of seedlings.

Technology

  • The capacity to choose, acquire and use technology fully depends on men decision.
  • Men will follow Convectional agricultural practices ;Men adopt new technologies TC banana, posho mill, chaff cutter, biogas plant while women do non-convectional type of farming due to lack of farm inputs. Women have limited technical know-how
  • Farm business plans and records are done or kept mostly by men only; Men draw farm business and rotational plans. Men a have a bigger say in disposal of farm produce
  • Its women role to feed the family without a  food budgets

2.ROLE OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH IN BRIDGING  GAP IN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY.
Agriculture Research should carry out gender mainstreaming in agriculture to reach more women scientist. They should promote Gender in Agriculture by having Agriculture activities and programs for young women scientist in research work. Success stories should encourage the youth who are less interested in Agriculture. Young generation to change their attitude towards agriculture as its dirty work.

This can be done by having Annual exhibitions, Competitions in agriculture activities for youth and recognition of winners.

3. IMPLICATIONS OF THIS GENDER GAP ESPECIALLY IN SUBSTANCE AGRICULTURE
Women spend most of their time undertaking reproductive roles.

Economically women are disadvantaged so their agricultural activities are not valued.

These are important activities for a stable family and society at large.

Women and children do most of agriculture work in the field yet this not also paid. Women are therefore over burdened and stressed most of the time. Making it difficult for her to work efficiently in enterprise that may bring good returns to the family poverty remains a problem in such families.

Enterprises undertaken by women are mostly temporary because they have limited resources, limited control and decision making as land is owned by men.

Women limited knowledge especially on technologies leaving them to the mercy of men on their farming .This call participation of all gender to making a favorable working condition for increased agriculture production and productivity

4. ADRESSING THE GAPS
This positive discrimination towards the disadvantaged gender be addressed by;

  •  Women enterprise fund allocation to support agricultural production and products.
  • Women representative, 2/3 gender rule in appointments. Ensuring women are represented in agriculture activities.
  • Promotion Boy child  and Girl child education awareness in  communities in Kenya
  • Challenging gender status quo through gender sensitive policy and legal frameworks
  • Right based approach to farming and programming along the  numerous agricultural Value chains
  • Participatory Monitoring and evaluation of agricultural enterprise and projects
  • Encourage more participation of women in agribusiness
  • Access the benefit of women and men separately
  • Integrate gender in project implementation and development
  • Extension officer to promote gender in along agricultural value chain.

Increasing women’s access to land, livestock, education, financial services, extension, technology and rural employment would boost their productivity and generate gains in terms of agricultural production, food security, economic growth and social welfare. Governments, the international community and civil society should work together to eliminate discrimination under the law, to promote equal access to resources and opportunities, to ensure that agricultural policies and programmes are gender-aware, and to make women’s voices heard as equal partners for sustainable development

5. WHICH SUCCESS INITIATIVE STORIES ON IMPROVING WOMEN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY COULD BE SCALED UP BY afDB.
Closing the gender gap in agricultural inputs alone could lift large population out of poverty, increase income and improve standards of living. With adequate farm inputs in place, then women have labour and work hard to increase production for food security and for market. Use of  inputs support to women groups has show positive returns in agriculture production and productivity ensuring food security and income.

bwg