Partnerships to Empower Women in the Agribusiness Value Chain Radha Muthiah Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Alliances CARE USA

A Leader on Gender Programming Women’s empowerment framework based on Strategic Impact Inquiry Buffett portfolio review of gender in agriculture programming Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Women & Agriculture Analysis Long-term commitment: year country level strategies

Health/PharmaICT Ag/Food Products Retail Financial Services CARE Focus Industries “Social Value across the Value Chain” Partners support CARE’s work through program funding, employee expertise, lending their brands and corporate voice, and engaging customers

Sourcing from Women Smallholders: Ghana Women’s Groups Background Declining Yield, Child Labor For Women –Lack control over cocoa –Access to Land –Extension Gender Innovation Women’s Groups (3,500 members) Linked with Farmer Groups (70 with 14,000 members) Build up production Support and mentor 1,500 girls to stay in school and learn about cocoa Diversify Income Sources Cocoa Communities Partnerships Started in 2006 with Cargill Ashanti Region, 70 communities 14,000 smallholder farmers (25% women) 25,881 children, inc. 7,350 primary school graduates Objective: Healthy rural cocoa communities

Background Cashews employ 500,000 women as unskilled labor One of India’s highest value crops Few to not opportunities for women to move up Hazardous working conditions Low literacy, self confidence, poor reproductive health Innovations Establishment of women-owned and operated processing units Federated structure from village to regional level Backward integration into collection Linkage to health microinsurance Functional literacy and life skills Women’s Cashew Federation Started in 2009 Approximate budget of $1 million Assist 1,250 women to move into ownership of cashew processing To process 10% of 2 districts yields 10% quality premium over other facilities Women Processors: India Women’s Cashew Federation

Background BoP market leveraging corp products, skills Seasonal glut of raw milk 43% of children under 5 are stunted Anemica prevalent in pregnant women Lack of safe dairy products in rural areas Employment for otherwise vulnerable women Innovations Take RSN model nationwide Adapt for Africa Cross-Selling of a number of other products –Personal care –Agriculture inputs Rural Sales Network & Dairy Value Chain Objective: Establish rural, social enterprise with double bottom line: incomes & improved nutrition In 2009 generated $1 million USD sales, via 3000 women agents Danone & CARE co-investing to develop new products and take model nation wide Women-Led Distribution Model: Bangladesh Rural Sales Program

Looking to the Future Invest in comprehensive approaches to empowerment that go beyond economic constraints Increase direct linkages between business sourcing and philanthropic support for women at key points along the value chain Grow BoP investment in marginalized women producers, processors, distributors –Gender-responsive social enterprise models –Financial products for women at BoP To increase productive, gender-responsive engagement of poor women along agribusiness value chains… Explore development of standards for investment in women at key points along the value chain Continue to build the business case for investing in poor, marginalized women in agribusiness