08ff-5234 Establishment of a womens wing and support to women learning centres in Andhra Pradesh
| budget |
€ 88.985,00 |
status |
execution |
| start date |
01-01-2009 |
date end |
31-12-2009 |
| location |
|
country |
india |
| financer |
Agriterra |
| executor |
Federation of Farmers Associations Andrah Pradesh |
intervention level |
sub-national |
| Programmes |
| work area 14: Gender and Women in Development | IFAP 05: Empower women farmers | |
| description |
 FFA-AP is the Federation of farmers' organisations in Andhra Pradesh India. It represents 1800 farmers' associations on the local level spread over 14 (of the 22 districts). Membership is about 69.000 farmers.
FFA-AP started women specific activities in 2007, by strengthening existing self help Groups and establishing 55 women learning (...more...) |
| description |
FFA-AP is the Federation of farmers' organisations in Andhra Pradesh India. It represents 1800 farmers' associations on the local level spread over 14 (of the 22 districts). Membership is about 69.000 farmers.
FFA-AP started women specific activities in 2007, by strengthening existing self help Groups and establishing 55 women learning centres at village level.
The present project submitted to Agriterra comes down to:
- income generating activities for women in 3 districts with an outreach of 1800 women per year
- establishment of a women's wing within FFA-AP (...less...) |
| results & observations |
The FFA-AP focused with this project on two main issues:
1. income generating activities for women in 3 districts with an outreach of 1800 women per year
2. establishment of a women's wing
FFA-AP recruited suitable staff members (district coordinators). This process went slow, but during the second semester all (...more...) |
| final results & observations |
The FFA-AP focused with this project on two main issues:
1. income generating activities for women in 3 districts with an outreach of 1800 women per year
2. establishment of a women's wing
FFA-AP recruited suitable staff members (district coordinators). This process went slow, but during the second semester all positions were filled. Activities at grass-root level focused on social mobilization and group formation. In total 123 Self Help Groups (SHG) with 2100 individual members were established or strengthened. A total of 9 Village Organisations (representing 10 to 15 SHG) were established with an elected Board. All SHG members are also direct members of the Village Organisations. Individual savings are Rs. 10 per month and a membership fee of Rs. 10 is also charged. The direct impact of the project is that 2100 women are unified into groups, have regular savings and have access to loans through the bank. Economic development is clearly visible with the number of children going to school leaving off the earlier work; most of the women having own houses tapping the government schemes; the women being able to access government welfare schemes such as toilets; ration cards; widow and old age pensions etc.
At local level the Village Organisations have established 3 umbrella organisations. These organisations approve and monitor the income generating activities and the loan schemes. This structure is still very new and fragile and needs further guidance and capacity building. Almost every group promoted by the project has a bank linkage without any collateral security.
At state level the women’s wing was established, although still an ad hoc committee is functioning, including representatives from the 3 districts where the project runs. The main challenge is to establish the district level federations. Once they are in place, at state level a committee can be elected.
The groups have been trained in issues like HIV-AIDS, agriculture and technology transfer, bookkeeping and lending and interlending . 600 women received skill based training. A monitoring/assessment form for Self Help groups has been designed in order to establish a baseline and being able to monitor the functioning of SHG in the future.
One visible structural change is that of decrease in seasonal migration of both men and women. The influence of money lender is reduced to a great extent. The women groups have their own savings and even if they don’t have they can borrow from the other group in the village and need not resort to distress loans with high rate of interest. Literacy among the women in the scale of making their own signature to writing the accounts books was achieved.
Apart from this a number of small farm and off farm activities were initiated in the project. Though we cannot say that all the activities resulted in enhanced income generation most have activities indeed started to make some returns, but no quantifiable figures were provided by FFA-AP.
FFA-AP successfully mobilized and organised rural women into Self Help groups, federated into village organisation. This was done by following a bottom up approach. At state level an ad hoc women wing committee was established. It is hoped that in 2010 a district layer can be created allowing for a real elected Executive committee at the state level. It is positive that the women groups can obtain loans from banks for income generating activities. It must be noted that FFA-AP is pulling forward the social organisation work implemented previously by the Velugu-IKP programme run by the AP government from 2002 to 2007. It means that many of the Self Help groups are strengthened, and creation of new groups is limited. Access to bank loans was strongly facilitated by the IKP project in the past.
The project has been successful in mobilizing and unifying rural women. This is contributing to the social and economic empowerment of the women in rural areas. Main challenge is to establish a district and (elected) national level representation of women in FFA-AP and scale up the membership base in the coming years
(...less...) |
| specialisms |
| Gender | |
PROPOSAL
| Agri-agency | Own contribution executor | Other parties | Total requested budget |
|---|
| Agriterra | FFAAP | | |
| € 0,00 + € 0,00 | € 0,00 | € 0,00 | € 0,00 |
This proposal covers a one year project focusing on the establishment of a women’s wing in FFA-AP, entirely managed and operated by women and providing services exclusively to women farmers in 3 districts of AP (Chittoor (Southern part), Mahabubnagar and Ranga Reddy.
1. Background
FFA-AP expressed its interest to do more for women farmers, resulting in a first women’s’ empowerment project in 2006-2007 (tailoring project 07ff-4961).
During the Agriterra mission in November 2006, FFA-AP expressed its interest to establish a women's wing within FFA-AP allowing women farmers a certain degree of autonomy within FFA-AP. Grass root level consultations were held about the possible establishment of a women’s wing, with positive feedback from the women. Passage, one of the Netherlands rural women organization, had already expressed its interest in 2006 to support FFA-AP to strengthen the setting up of a women’s wing. Two Passage members participated in the mission: Assessment of the participation of women in rural people's organizations in Andhra Pradesh (June 2008). The outcome of the mission was that both parties are willing to further collaborate and work on the establishment of a women’s wing of FFA-AP.
2. The proposal includes 3 maincomponents
- strengthening the existing and building women self managed institutions
- capacity builidng of women groups and establishing a social forum
- Income generating activities, like back yard poultry farming, embroidery and tailoring, floriculture and nursery establishment.
It includes the operational costs of setting up and running a separate women’s wing in FFA-AP, with representation at grass root, mandal, district and state level. It includes setting up of women learning centers (not clear how many) benefiting directly 5.400 women Expected outcome is the establishment of a semi autonomous women's wing of FFA-AP with its own managamnet structure and budte, however decision taking power lies with the Executive Comiitee of FFA-AP. (enhanced income for rural women and awareness creation on issues like women rights, HI/AIDS, health etc.
3. Proposed budget:
2009: € 71.031
Own contribution: € 12.362 (17%)
Passage share will be between € 25,000 and € 40,000, remaining budget will be covered by Agriterra (decision by Passage about contribution for 2009 will be taken in january only).
4. M&E: the project proposal and log frame have been revised. M&E will be done by FFA-AP internally. It is alos foreseen that a joint PAssage /Agriterra mission will visit the project mid 2009.
5. Sustainability and cost efficiency:
FFA-AP own contribution amount about 17% , incuding a membership fee share being Rs. 25 per person. Also, members will pay Rs. 10 per training as a participation fee. FFA-AP receives support rom the government (trainings) and is trying to raise funds from other donors (national/lovcal level). |
GOALS
