Support to FAO - Climate Resilience Livelihood Opportunities for WEE

General

The project ''Climate Resilience Livelihood Opportunities for Women Economic Empowerment'' (CRWEE) aims at advancing economic empowerment of rural women as a means of addressing gender inequalities, female subordination, discrimination and household poverty in West Nile and Karamoja regions of Uganda. The intervention aims to address key constraints to women´s productivity and economic empowerment, notably access and ownership of productive assets (land, livestock, finances, agricultural produce e.t.c.), capacity building and information access for agricultural production and marketing, development of select value chains and capacity development of women groups in decision making and production. The intervention will integrate environmental and watershed management approaches and build adaptation and mitigation capacities of partners and communities to climate change aimed at ensuring sustainable livelihoods, production, business opportunities and growth.

Objectives

During the period January-December 2022, the main results achieved as per result areas were as follows: Result Area 1:Women access to and control of productive resources and decision-making capacity improved The result area is expected to be achieved through strengthening capacity of partners in climate change adaptation, gender-based adaptation and mitigation actions, supporting social-cultural gender dynamics, equality and relations to increased tenure security for both men and women and enhanced productivity. 1.1 Capacity of national government institutions, District Local Governments for gender transformative climate change and mitigation developed - 60 out of targeted 90 members of staff from government and NGOs were trained on gender transformative climate change adaptation and mitigation and following which 12 out of the targeted 24 districts have been supported to develop and implement participatory gender responsive and climate resilient plans. -7200 households have been trained in Gender Action Learning and Gender Household approaches 1.2 Social cultural household dynamics and gender equality and relations enhanced to support climate resilient production The following outputs were achieved. -Training of 60 of the targeted 90 staff from government, NGOs as trainers of trainers on Gender action learning and intergrating gender in household level actions -Training of 20 of the targeted 60 cultural leaders on Gender equality was completed. -Functional Adulty Literacy training package for women targeting 7,500 households was developed 1.3 Increased tenure security for both men and women - 30 district staff including from area land committees, physical planning committees, district land boards were trained and retooled in issuance of customary land certificates with intention to integrate gender and inclusion of men and women in issuance of customary land ownership. -400 customary certificates of land ownership (50%) bearing names of husband and wife were registered in Adjumani district. There is a huge demand for the same in other districts. Result Area 2: Household income and climate resilient livelihood capacities of women improved in a gender responsive manner The result area aims at promoting sustainable and gender responsive climate resilient agricultural practices with focus on more involvement of women aimed at increasing production, incomes without degrading the environment. The number of achieved outputs included: 2.1 sustainable market-oriented gender responsive climate resilient agricultural production practices promoted -303 Farmer Field Schools were established. These are community groups that learn together, share knowledge, have common vision, co-own demonstration gardens and save together. They were supported through provision of expert training, provision of inputs, linkage to financial services and markets. The project trained 8,448 farmers from 12 districts and 26 sub-counties (6,163 women and 1,425 men). Farmers were trained in agronomic practices including seed bed preparation, timely planting, managing common diseases, harvest and post harvesting practices. Others included improved livestock management, irrigation and water management, seed multiplication and cleaning. -Training packages for training Farmer Field Schools were developed. These included aspects such as Community Based watershed training materials, Inter grated value chain assessment (IVCA) framework for analysis of agricultural commodities, Village and loan savings associations, barley production agronomy, marketing and cassava seed multiplication agronomy, post harvest handling and value addition. - In partnership with the Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Abi ZARDI), 377 farmers out of the targeted 540 from 6 Women led farmer groups established 30 acres for production of quality cassava cuttings in Nebbi, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo and Adjumani. In addition, 8 Acres of high producing Naroca 1 cassava variety were established at Abi-ZARDI to supply over 6000 bags of cuttings to farmers to increase production. 500 copies of improved cassava production manuals were produced and distributed. -1717 acres of seed multiplication plots for 5 crops maize, simsim, soya bean and ground nut were established and 438 682 were produced and distributed to farmers in West Nile. Mean while, 232 acres of seed multiplication plots covering maize, beans, sorghum, soya bean and ground nut were established and produced 21,304Kg of seed for allocation to farmers. It was noted that Karamoja region registered a negative 60% productivity compared to West Nile due to persistent droughts. -In addition, passion fruit value chain development was supported in Abim with 1500 seedlings produced for distribution. -Four community-based breeding programmes have been established to improve productivity; 1 in Adjumani, 2 in Nebbi for goats. 16 goats were provided (13 pregnant females and 3 males) with 15 kids produced in the period and poultry multiplication centre with initial 300 birds in Maracha and through this, the project has supported 120 households. -100 improved bee hives have been fabricated and installed as demonstration sites in Arua, Zombo and training in best honey production and harvesting practices conducted and 10,000 seedlings of Calliandra were provided for planting to farmers to increase bee forage. 2.2 Appropriate small-scale agricultural water management systems established or rehabilitated for domestic and agricultural production -16 small and medium scale water irrigation systems were established/rehabilitated and supported establishment of 100 acres of associated demonstration gardens in Adjumani, Moyo-Obongi, Zombo and have benefited 160 households. -Hydro-geological surveys to establish status of water resources completed to inform choice of sustainable water resource development intervention in each select district and site. Construction of 9 boreholes were completed in Karamoja and West Nile. 2.3 Agro-based value chain development and non-farm income generating opportunities in partnership with the private sector promoted. -A number of value chains have been developed on cassava, barley, apiary, cashew nuts, goats and poultry, mushroom, production and apiculture. A number of linkages have been established between 5 farmer groups/organisations linked and the market and or private sector particularly for honey, mushroom and cooking stove production. Through this intervention, 150 youths have been supported. -77 members were trained in mushroom production, provided with startup packs for commercial mushroom production and market linkages for both fresh and dry mushrooms. -24 Farmer groups covering 720 farmers with an average acre of barley were trained and participated in block chain marketing with support from Techno Serve and Nile breweries. - 6 Cassava producer groups were facilitated with labour saving cassava chippers to improve post-harvest handling practices and quality of cassava chips and flour produced. RA 3: Ecosystem adaptive and mitigation capacities Enhanced The Result Area aims at increasing eco-system adaptive and mitigation capacity in relation to rehabilitation and protection of ecosystems against degradation. 3.1 Bio-energy plantations, bio-gas models and energy saving technologies promoted -15 tree nurseries were established and cummulatively have produced 469,523 assorted tree seedlings and these were distributed to communities for planting in community watersheds. -170 community members were trained in West Nile and 6o community members as artisans in energy cooking stoves and making of briquettes and as a result 6770 energy saving cook stoves have been constructed ( West Nile-5,822, Karamoja-948). -64-Flexi-biogas and bio-fertilizers systems of 9 cubic metres established in West Nile with capacity for reduction of fuel consumption of in fuel of 60-75%. 3.2 Capacities of NGOs and local communities to plan, implement and mobilise resources for ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation developed Through the Directorate of Water resources department in the Ministry of Water and Environment, there has been production of popular versions of catchments management plans for Lolok, Lokere and Albert Nile, reviews of catchments management plans to identify gender gaps and development of Training of Trainers on gender responsive community-based watershed management, ecosystem adaptation and mitigation. -Letters of agreement were signed with 12 community groups and NGOs to work with two schools in each of the 12 districts in participatory gender responsible watershed management. -24 watershed management associations and resource user groups have been established and strengthened in watershed ecosystem adaptation and mitigation. -240 personnel from district local governments and NGOs have been equipped to undertake watershed planning and management