International Day of Rural Women, 15 October 2016

1. INVESTING IN RURAL
WOMEN: An investment
in a whole community
International Day of Rural Women
15 October 2016

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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 try
out progressive technologies

24. Thank You