Project 09ubc-5489

09ubc-5489 Project of Empowerment of Women’s Initiatives

budget	€ 56.424,41	status	execution
start date	01-10-2009	date end	31-12-2009
location	Bahia, Pará, Santa Cataria e Espirito Santo	country	brazil
financer	Trias
executor	União das Cooperativas da Agricultura Familiar e Economia Solidária da Bahia	intervention level	national
Programmes	\| work area 14: Gender and Women in Development \| IFAP 05: Empower women farmers \|
description	Like Unicafes Nacional, Unicafes Bahia also represents a “new cooperativism”, where the cooperatives are formed by family farmers and for the family farmers. The model of development elaborated by Unicafes aims for social management (local and democratic) with participation of youth and women in a pro-active way. However, the historical (...more...)
description	Like Unicafes Nacional, Unicafes Bahia also represents a “new cooperativism”, where the cooperatives are formed by family farmers and for the family farmers. The model of development elaborated by Unicafes aims for social management (local and democratic) with participation of youth and women in a pro-active way. However, the historical and social context limits the implementation of this model of development. Women have an important role in the family agriculture and in the rural economy in general. Even thought the majority of women execute many functions at farm level, femine participation in the farmers organizations are limited, approximately 10% of the members. This project has the objective to organize women family farmers, developing the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women exclusively and also the mixed initiatives, enabling moments of reflection about the social relations of gender and making new partnerships with governmental and civil society organizations. In this way, Unicafes aims supports the empowerment of women as a protagonist in the family, in the cooperatives and in the society in general. (...less...)
results & observations	The project has the main objective of empower women and include them in the cooperatives of family farmers and improve their participation in the processes of decision making. This project was the first practical activity developed for women in Unicafes and it was a pleasant surprise that the effect was much (...more...)
final results & observations	The project has the main objective of empower women and include them in the cooperatives of family farmers and improve their participation in the processes of decision making. This project was the first practical activity developed for women in Unicafes and it was a pleasant surprise that the effect was much bigger than we had expected; the results affected directly some of the Unicafes at state level like Unciafes-PR and Unicafes-BA but we believe that this this is not the end of it, since the other Unicafes at state level and Unicafes Nacional are also planning to create Secretary of Women’s Affairs in their General Assembly this year (2010). Also the contacts made with the departments of the Brazilian government resulted in partnership and projects for 2010. Success was achieved on both national and state level. The women family farmers presented the document in which they elaborated their demands to Unicafes Nacional. They also established contact with government departments that support activities to empower women. The mapping activity, done in only a few small regions of Brazil showed the huge potential of “productive” women. Unicafes indetified 314 productive groups of women, summing the total of 6.370 women. Many of them are not yet organized in coops. On state level two divisions of Unicafes created a Secretary of Women’s Affairs and started initial discussions about gender issues. The project was a success, but the women of Unicafes still have the big challenge to convince the directors (mostly men) about the importance of concrete actions to promote involvement of women in the cooperatives. Unicafes-PR, together with Cresol Baser, a system of micro finance coops, continued the project with the development and implementation of a Program for Gender for 2010 with support of Trias. Unicafes Nacional is also continuing the project with the approval of a new project (that focus on the capacity building of some of the groups that were mapped) with the Brazilian government. To give support to the women initiatives, Unicafes has the need for one advisor on gender in each state, empowering the Secretary of Women’s Affairs of Unicafes Nacional and creating it in the other states. (...less...)
specialisms	\| Gender \|

	APPLICATION
	APPLICATION

	DEFINITION
	DEFINITION

	EXECUTION
	EXECUTION

	RESULTS
	RESULTS

	PROGRESS
	PROGRESS

	RELATIONS
	RELATIONS

PROPOSAL

Agri-agency	Own contribution executor	Other parties	Total requested budget
Trias	Unicafes - BA
€ 0,00 + € 0,00	€ 0,00	€ 0,00	€ 0,00

1. History

In the I National Meeting of the Cooperatives of Family Agriculture and Solidary Economy, in July 2004 an organization that represented the branches of production, commercialization, technical assistance, services and rural habitation was constituted. During the I National Congress of the Cooperatives of Family Agriculture and Solidary Economy, the representatives of 17 States elected the board of Unicafes Nacional with representatives of each region. In order to empower of the movement the strategy to create Unicafes at state level was adopted.

According to this strategy Unicafes Bahia was created. It was founded in November 2006, with the participation of the Movement of Communitarian Organization (MOC), Association of Support to the Cooperatives of Family Economy (ASCOOB), Federation of the Agriculture Workers of the State of Bahia (FETAG BA) and the Federation of Family Farmers in Bahia (FETRAF BA), Unicafes Bahia represents 71 cooperatives from different places in the state, summing 45.000 family farmers. Among its members there are several initiatives of women and one cooperatives formed entirely by women (Coopere).

Like Unicafes Nacional, Unicafes Bahia also represents a “new cooperativism”, where the cooperatives are formed by family farmers and for the family farmers. The model of development elaborated by Unicafes aims for social management (local and democratic) with participation of youth and women in a pro-active way. However, the historical and social context limits the implementation of this model of development.

Women have an important role in the family agriculture and in the rural economy in general. Even thought the majority of women execute many functions at farm level, femine participation in the farmers organizations are limited, approximately 10% of the members.

This fact is due to the lack of recognition of women’s contribution in the Family Agricultural economy. From general statistic sources to community level women are seen as a house hold workers instead of a family farmers, which in many cases it is not true. This interpretation is due to the historical and cultural context that is strongly present in our society.

In this context, Unicafes underlines the need to define a strategy that changes this situation, enabling the women to improve their participation in the cooperatives and as such in the policies definition.

By increasing the participation of women in the coops and representative organizations, Unicafes is amplifying the amount of members and the economical initiatives its members, as well as empower cooperativism.

This project has the objective to organize women family farmers, developing the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women exclusively and also the mixed initiatives, enabling moments of reflection about the social relations of gender and making new partnerships with governmental and civil society organizations. In this way, Unicafes aims supports the empowerment of women as a protagonist in the family, in the cooperatives and in the society in general.

2. Objectives, results and indicators

Target Group: the project will affect 1.000 family farmers directly.

General Objective: develop and/or strengthen the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women and improve the participation of women in the process of decision making.

Specific Objective:
- Initiate a discussion about the social relations of gender in the family agriculture and in economic and solidary initiatives.
- Elaborate a document/declaration of Unicafes Nacional containing its position, demands and follow ups regarding this theme.
- Mapping the economical and solidary initiatives formed by women associated to 4 Unicafes at state level (BA, SC, PA and ES).
- Elaborate and present new projects to partner organizations with the objective of economical improvement and political empowerment.

Expected Results:
- Elaboration of a plan of action of Unicafes Nacional and Unciafes at state level regarding the principles and policy for women.
- Mapping the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women.
- Projects, that support women’s initiatives, elaborated, presented and approved by partners organizations.

Indicators:
- Document/Declaration of Unicafes Nacional of principles and policy on gender.
- Systematization of the mapping of the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women.
- New projects elaborated according to the results of the mapping of the women’ s initiatives.

3. Activities

3.1. I National Meeting
- Presentation of the project and the methodology
- Planning the mapping of the economic and solidary initiatives formed by women associated to Unicafes.
- Elaboration of the questionnaire for the mapping of the women’s economical initiatives.
- Initiation of the construction of the document/declaration of Unicafes Nacional on gender.
- Definition of the participants of the Commission of Women.

3.2 Mapping the economical and solidary initiatives formed by women and systematization of the information (name of e the initiative, size, products, demands, opportunities, difficulties….)

3.3. II National Meeting
- Socialization of the results of the mapping.
- Construction of the document/declaration of Unicafes Nacional on gender.

3.4. I Meeting of the Commission of Women to elaborate new projects based on the results of the mapping of the women’s economic initiatives.

3.5 II Meeting of the Commission of Women to follow up the projects elaborated and approved.

3.6 Meetings at state level to socialize the results of the mapping and to discuss the theme of gender to contribute to the National Meeting.

4. Budget

Detail budget in annex (Operational Plan)

5. Monitoring and Evaluation
The monitoring and evaluation will be executed in the following methodology:
- All the local personnel contracted and involved in the project will initiate their activities based on a Term of reference containing: objective, results, activity, chronogram and budget.
- Salary will be paid by presentation of a report of the executed activities.
- A member of TRIAS will participate of the Commission of Women to facilitate the planning, execution and evaluation of the project.
- TRIAS will also advise Unicafes on the financial management and reports to Agricord.

GOALS

	Partner Sites
	Partner Sites