INTEGRATING GENDER AND SOCIAL INCLUSION CONSIDERATIONS IN DEVELOPMENT: WOMEN AND YOUTH IN AGRI-VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT

Transcription

1 INTEGRATING GENDER AND SOCIAL INCLUSION CONSIDERATIONS IN DEVELOPMENT: WOMEN AND YOUTH IN AGRI-VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT 2018 UNPSA FORUM MORROCCO JUNE 22, 2018 AGRICULTURAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROGRAMME (ASDSP) MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION P.BOX NAIROBI - KENYA

2 Context Lessons Learnt Key Challenge Dimensions Critical to Success Recommendation Further Discussions in UN Fora Presentation Outline

3 About ASDSP I Bilateral program between GOK and GOS Implemented in 47 Counties Sector wide Agri- Value Chain Development (VCD) based program Institutional & Capacity Development Component Environmental Resilience and Social Inclusion Component Value Chain Development Component.

4 Problems i) Few institutions in the agriculture sector have strategies fo mainstreaming gender; ii) Lack of designated gender budgets except for bi-laterall supported programs; iii)low gender capacity and awareness; iv)gender mainstreaming in most institutions is left to gender unit while other program staffs are not made to account for gender; v) Women, though active in value chain are concentrated in lower less profitable levels, the youth are generally poorly engaged.

5 Targets Small holder VC Actors (Crop, Livestock, Fisheries) from Input suppliers to consumers: Vulnerable groups (Women & Youth); Men Agriculture Advisory SPs; Institutions (Public, Private, CSOs, CBOs, FBOs); Target/Actors

6 Solutions SECTOR GENDER PROCESS DOCUMENTS Sector Gender Policy Sector Youth in Agribusiness Strategy Sector GBV Strategy ASDSP GENDER & SOCIAL INCLUSION (GSI) PROCESS DOCUMENTS & STRUCTURES ASDSP GSI Strategy; Strategic GSI Action Plan 47 County GSI Action Plans ASDSP Staff Recruited Competitively Women Encouraged to Apply, Breast Feeding Mothers Given Special Package during Workshops

7 Solutions Gender Responsive VC Prioritization, Analysis, Budgeting, Tracking and Reporting; Mechanisms to Coordinate & Supervise Integration of Women & Youth in VCD (Social Audit Teams, Committees of Experts, GSI Officers); Capacity building for Coordination; Implementation & Supervisory Structures and Women/Youth VCOs Formed & Trained; Established Innovation Grant for Women/Youth by Women/Youth Leveraging opportunities for women and youth engagement in decent work, value chain structures, organizations and local decision making organs (e.g. Community level workers, VCPs, VCCG, SAT)

8 Lessons Learnt i) Women and youth VCAs still face higher entry barriers than adult men in VCD as they have less access to assets, credit, services and markets, ii) Most Women are visible in the production and trade functions of the value chains, with operations characterized by low capital investment, small scale operations and unskilled labour; iii) Most youth are visible in transportation ( boda boda ) and production with systems that largely are unorganized and characterized by unskilled labour.

9 Key Challenge Women and youth value chain actors face higher entry barriers than adult men in value chain development as they have less access to assets, credit and markets. How can governments institute mechanisms for overcoming their constraints while maximizing on their contributions to VCD with-out loosing their voice?

10 Critical Dimensions for Success Innovation plays a considerable strategic role in fostering long term gender responsive VCD: Culture continues to play a big role in how gender issues are perceived and addressed and are projected in the institutions edging out women and youth from key leadership positions; Combining commercial viability with GSI in VCD is a significant challenge as well as an opportunity. Women, youth and vulnerable groups face constraints that limit their competiveness in commercial VCD. This hampers the effective and efficient functioning of these chains thus reducing their commercial viability; Leading a VCD process where complementary roles need to be defined, operated and mutual understanding and respect maintained

11 Critical Dimensions for Success Cont Transparency, Accountability and Participation: Informed and watchful target groups is an incentive for good practice from programs: People driven value chain identification Institutionalized mechanisms to coordinate and supervise the integration of women and youth considerations in VCD; Committee of experts; Social audit teams; Establishment of value chain Organizations; Motivation of women to participate in local decision making organs

12 Critical Dimensions for Success Cont Technology ASDSP moved to tap from transformational technological packages to drive gender responsive VCD; Established Technology Assessment Technical Team (TATT) Worked with research institutions (KALRO, KEMFRI) and Universities; Prioritized technologies: Anchor and supportive technologies; Training VCAs to identify, characterize and analyze transformational technological packages and knowledge for VCD

13 Critical Dimensions for Success Cont Policy Coherence and Integration The GOK is committed to the realization of SDGs including SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; ASDSP Gender and social inclusion strategic documents aligned to Agriculture Sector Gender policy Gender responsive and socially inclusive VCD costs money and other resources. Need for partners ( Governments, Private sector, Civil Society, CBOs) pull together with other actors who are mandated to work with women, youth and vulnerable groups.

14 Recommendations Any support to women and youth actors should build on the roles they are already playing in value chain development. Instituting innovative funding mechanisms to improve their access to resources; Strengthening value chain segments with high prospects for women and youth empowerment; Creating more opportunities for women and youth engagement in male dominated value chains through innovation grants; Establishing mentorship programs to incentivize the youth particularly graduates from Universities and Colleges to become agri-preneurs.

15 Further Discussion Commercially viable agriculture value chain actors by their very nature are driven by profit and therefore find it difficult to accommodate women, youth and vulnerable groups who face constraints that limit their competiveness in commercial value chain development (VCD). How can governments/organizations institute mechanisms for overcoming their constraints while maximizing their contributions and benefit from VCD with-out isolating them?

16