Despite complications brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Standard Bank has provided funding worth $3 million as well as ongoing support through financial literacy and other programmes to support women that are into farming in Africa.
UN Women and Standard Bank have brushed aside the Covid-19 disruptions and the two are making progress to equip women that are farmers in Africa with the skills and resources needed to grow their businesses and succeed over the long term.
UN Women is the United Nations’ Organization dedicated to Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. Global Champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
UN Women supports the UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes
and services needed to implement these standards.
It stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on five priority areas: increasing women’s leadership and participation; ending violence against women; engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes; enhancing women’s economic empowerment; and making gender equality central to national development planning and budgeting. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing
gender equality.
In October 2019, Standard Bank and UN Women partnered to empower over 50,000 women farmers in Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa through modern and environmentally friendly farming technologies that increase productivity and incomes.
The project is closely aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with its focus on gender equality, access to decent work, and economic growth.
Through the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) collaboration, women farmers, authorities, local farmer organisations and cooperatives are addressing the structural inequalities in rural economies in Africa, starting with the difficulties that women face in securing tenure for quality farmland.
“The CSA project supports Standard Bank’s drive to create a gender-equal Africa and aligns with our purpose of driving the continent’s growth,” said Sola David-Borha, Chief Executive of Africa Regions at Standard Bank Group. “We believe it will meaningfully contribute to the upliftment of communities and the achievement of sustainable economic growth across Africa.”
Through the CSA project, Standard Bank and the UN Women are working with women, youth and their communities to support women’s agency, influence and holistic contributions to sustainable farming methods contribute to securing local food supply, nutrition, income and livelihoods and renewable energy life cycles. The CSA platform provides an inter-disciplinary approach towards vibrant local rural economies, and UN WOMEN will continue to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Decade for Family Farming and the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, digital technology is being used to conduct meetings where possible, and messages are being delivered via community radio stations, SMSs and marketing material.
In Malawi, close to 6,000 women, farmers have received support in the use of high-yield and drought-resistant groundnut seeds; implementation of modern farming methods that conserve moisture and maximise land use; use of weather forecast information for the timely planting of groundnuts; use of market information and financial literacy sessions; the adoption of modern farming technologies.
In Nigeria, the project is currently supporting 2300 women beneficiary agri-business groups and cooperatives to increase the productivity and profitability of their operations within the rice and shea nut value chains. It will ultimately deliver assistance to 12,500 rural women in the country.
In South Africa, the project delivered agricultural inputs to 2,753 women farmers in the first half of 2020. The inputs include drought-resistant seeds of various crops, organic manure, farming equipment, and training on climate-smart agriculture.
In Uganda, 700 women have been equipped with the skills and technologies needed to run successful aquaculture operations. Over a quarter of a million high-quality fish fingerlings – of the Tilapia species – are being grown by the beneficiaries, using aquaculture technologies. The women have been supported through technical training, mentorship programmes, access to inputs including feeds, accommodation and business management skills.
“Women are the very backbone of rural economies and care of families and communities. Yet their contributions are undervalued and needs to be sufficiently acknowledged. Women’s economic empowerment is central to attaining gender equality and it is a prerequisite for inclusive and sustainable development. UN Women is committed to this expansion of this programme,” said Roberta Clarke, Senior Advisor, UN Women East and Southern Africa.
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