Women Accessing Realigned Markets (WARM) Project Strengthening the Capacity of Women Farmers to Influence Agricultural Policy Development in Southern Africa Thembi Ndema

What is “Women Accessing Realigned Markets (WARM) Project”

Purpose of Project To increase women farmers’ access to appropriate agricultural inputs by empowering them - – to express their needs – to generate evidence that is used to align policy research agendas and service institutions to meet women farmers’ needs.

Project Objectives To provide a platform for communities to dialogue on issues that affect women farmers’ access to input markets Empower women farmers to play a more active role in driving the development agenda To align development research agenda to women farmers’ issues Align input supply institutions and programs to women farmer needs To bring women farmer concerns into national and regional policy debates

Why focus on women Women in Sub- Sahara African countries constitute 70% of the agricultural workers Women provide 60-80% of the labor to produce food for household consumption and sale. Women also responsible for: 100% of the processing of basic foodstuffs 80% of food storage and transport from field to village 90% of the hoeing and weeding work 60% of the harvesting and marketing activities (FAO Women and Population Division, 2007).

WARM Project Interventions Access to services; credit, research Agricultural extension – information and knowledge Access to appropriate technology Access to input and output markets Participation in policy processes

Project Outcomes Local Level Women farmers and their communities have a better understanding of how input markets can better serve them Knowledge and ideas to be incorporated into local development plans Women farmers have better access to input and output markets and appropriate support Agricultural productivity and livelihoods improve Community theater platform continues to serve as a mechanism for aligning service institutions to community needs.

Project Outcomes National Level Key research institutions, media, policy makers and farmer groups become more sensitive to the specific needs of women farmers Women’s concerns incorporated into the research and policy agendas. Women farmers’ participation in leadership positions and policy discussions solicited.

Project Outcomes Regional Level The WARM project outputs inform continent-wide plans and investments such as CAADP, organisations and programmes WARM fosters public / private partnerships and policy harmonization for improving regional procurement and distribution of inputs

Project Design and Implementation

Project Design and Implementation Plan

Theatre for Policy Action Song, dance, narrative and ceremonial rituals - a part of African tradition and defines a community’s identity A powerful medium for communicating ideas by leveling the field, breaking barriers and addressing topics that are deemed taboo TPA can stimulate both dialogue and action - a theatrical performance is a major social event in rural Africa The holistic enactment of the community's responses to the challenges of daily existence and development Developed and refined by various development agents, researchers, social scientists and theatre specialists Works through community based processes

Theatre for Policy Action Community entry and mobilization Engagement of key community stakeholders and development experts Building local capacity to communicate key messages through theatre Packaging key policy messages Community dialogue platform Identification of champions for community issues Community Voice PROCESS

Proposed Partners National Policy-Makers Development NGOs Research Institutions Farmer Organizations Local Level: Small scale women farmers; National farmer unions; Local theatre groups; University; Existing rural development programs ( e.g. AGRA, BMG Foundation Grantees such as Ashoka, CLUSA, AWAL-Net)