Qualification of women in the agriculture and nutrition sector.

projekt beendet

ContextAgriculture is one of the main drivers of development in Africa, generating around one third of the continent’s GDP. Women are a key asset in agricultural production, processing and trade, growing around 80 per cent of food and making up almost 50 per cent of the sector’s workforce. Due to sociocultural barriers, however, women rarely have access to training and opportunities to develop essential skills. As a result, their potential to increase agricultural productivity and profitability on the African continent is not fully realised.The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has served as the framework for action for agricultural transformation across Africa since 2003. As an African Union initiative, CAADP supports member states in increasing investment and productivity in the agricultural sector. The aim is to achieve agricultural growth rates of more than 6 per cent as a means of promoting food security and economic development.With its continental scope, CAADP is an ideal framework to empower women and assist them to develop their full potential.ObjectiveThe project aims to ensure that labour market-oriented, income-boosting training opportunities for women in the agri-food sector are taken up in the TVET systems in selected pilot countries.ApproachThe technical body of the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), coordinates the implementation of CAADP in AU member countries. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ supports AUC and NPCA in fulfilling their mandate.The project has four modules:Policy AdviceClimate Change Adaptation in AgricultureAgricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET)Women in ATVETThe project provides inclusive, labour market-oriented and income-boosting agricultural training for women. This improves their access to formal and informal education in the agri-food sector and gives them the skills they need to earn a living through paid work in the labour market or through self-employment.In the six partner countries – Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo – the project targets women in formal vocational training, female smallholders who lack access to training and women who run small or micro businesses.The approach takes women’s diverse needs and social roles into account. As a priority, it therefore offers access to informal and flexible training options, such as evening and weekend courses that link in with formal education and training provision at the local level.The project also supports mentoring programmes and promotes teaching methods that are suited to women with little experience of attending school.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2016, almost 2,000 women underwent agricultural training. Around one third of the trainees in the six partner countries were female. Women previously accounted for less than 15 per cent of all agricultural trainees.Based on an assessment of female roles and contributions to agriculture, training modules for specific value chains are being developed in order to boost women’s participation in the economy. The new modules are being delivered at a variety of institutions by teachers who have been sensitised to the specific needs of the target groups.

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