Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) organized a three-day training workshop in partnership with the German Association for Rural Women Farmers -dlv and the Andreas Hermes Akademie – AHA. The training workshop which attracted over 11 Women leaders from Kasese, Mbarara, Tororo, Kiboga, Lira, Oyam, Agago, and Oyam District Farmers Associations (DFA) was held at the UNFFE head office in Kampala.
The training focused on Institutional Development for rural women and how this can strengthen them to build capacity in establishing sustainable networks and continuous engagements but also reflect on the journey of organizing Rural Women Farmers to tap into the enormous opportunities along different agricultural value chains. This is one of a series of capacity-building trainings under the project to Strengthen Rural Women’s Involvement in the Agricultural Value Chain (SWISA) implemented by UNFFE.
Women constitute a stronger pillar of the agriculture sector through the efforts of labor and involvement in the main activities at the farm level however, there has been a minimum effort to recognize their contribution. The rural women’s participation has mostly been particularly on lower activities of the value chain such as; land opening and clearing, planting, weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and drying which are not attracting as much incentives as marketing, value addition, and other stages of the value chain. Despite their massive contribution to the sector, it still has minimally been recognized, and their access to key production resources is still limited.
It is from the above background that UNFFE is emphasizing bringing women’s voices together which is a strategic intervention to empower rural women farmers to deliver efficiently and have the ability to enjoy the proceeds from their labor through empowerment programs.
UNFFE, therefore, seeks out opportunities that would enable them to gain support in the mobilization, organization, empowering, and coordination of rural women through a platform that amplifies their voices to advocate for favorable participation in the strategic value chain activities to ensure increased production and productivity, as well as community transformation.
@ George Cotina -Andreas Hermes Akademie and Prudence Ayebare for facilitating the sessions.
@ The Germany Association for Rural Women Farmers thank you for the support.
