Poverty, food insecurity and low literacy levels impact women more severely in the district. Women also have limited access to land and are vulnerable to discriminatory attitudes which can hinder their ability to negotiate crop sales and to coordinate production with local buyer demands. Already, a farming cooperative structure exists within the 20 villages we will be working in.

 

This project will build the skills of farmers – to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the farming cooperatives. And, by improving the technical agricultural, business and functional literacy skills, it will enable farmers to increase their crop yields. We are training individuals from each village to become literacy facilitators. They will be trained in literacy skills relevant to agriculture, such as crop production, storage, fertilizer measures, pesticide labels, and marketing. They will then deliver literacy training to groups of 30 over the course of 11 months.

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Furthermore, we are training individuals from each village in business and financial management as well as network organisation and marketing. They are gaining the relevant knowledge and facilitation skills to effectively disseminate learning to their peers, supporting their fellow farmers to increase yields and income. The project will create long-term and sustainable change, by permanently improving household income, which will enable families to be able to spend on education, health care and nutritious foods.

 

The increased economic empowerment of women will also reduce gender inequality relating to education and economic engagement. As the average household size in Sunyani-West District is 9.5, we estimate that these outcomes will support at least 3,000 indirect beneficiaries (the family members of direct beneficiaries) through increased household income and improved food security.