Participation was a key component of these projects both in terms of involving rural people in information collection and planning processes and in training the people who are responsible for the planning and delivery of agricultural services in how to work in a participatory manner with women as well as men farmers.
The specific task of the project in Nepal was to test and refine a participatory methodology to incorporate gender concerns into agricultural planning from the grass-roots to the district level. Its main objective was to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture to promote, support and monitor gender sensitive planning at the district level in order to improve current knowledge of the type of training and support services required by rural women.
The main thrust of the project was to involve men and women farmers
in select communities in each of Nepal's three distinct agro-ecological
zones together with district level planners and agricultural outreach staff
in a gender-sensitive planning exercise. This would start with training
district level staff in a combination of gender analysis and participatory
rural appraisal tools to learn how to identify both women and men farmers'
needs. The trainees then would have the practical experience of carrying
out gender sensitive PRAs in designated villages with the purpose of working
together with the villagers to develop community action plans. Following
the PRAs, district level planning workshops would provide an opportunity
for the participants to present their findings and discuss their community
action plans with district level planners. Based on the experience of these
planning exercises in the three pilot districts, the Women Farmer Development
Division - FAO's main counterpart on the project - would develop guidelines
for gender sensitive planning at the district level. The project would
end with a National level workshop to discuss these guidelines with high
level policy makers and Ministry staff to encourage their adoption into
the overall planning processes of the Ministry. The basic approach of the
project is outlined in the project profile below.
| GCP/NEP/051/NOR
|
"Improving Information on Women's Contribution to Agricultural Production for Gender-Sensitive Planning" (January 1996 - June 1997) |
| Budget | US$124,000 |
| Counterpart
Institution |
Ministry of Agriculture
Women Farmer Development Division |
| Objective | Strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture to promote, support and monitor gender sensitive planning at the district level. |
| Main
activities |
· Set up of Steering Committees at Central and District
levels
· Review of planning methodologies to assess the extent to which they recognize women's roles as farmers and natural resource managers · Development of draft guidelines for gender-responsive agricultural planning at the district level · Training of district level staff in GA/PRA · Gender sensitive PRA in two or three villages in each of Nepal's 3 distinct agro-ecological zones · Filming of PRA exercises · Analysis of results and preparation of case studies by project consultants · Preparation of three short training videos on gender issues in agriculture, women in commercial farming and gender sensitive PRA · District-level workshops to present PRA findings to district level planners · National Workshop · Finalization of guidelines for gender-responsive agricultural planning at the district level |
| Expected
outputs |
· PRA case studies (2-3 per agro-ecological zone)
on gender issues in Nepali farming systems
· Three short video films on gender issues in agriculture and gender sensitive PRA · District level line agency staff trained in the use of gender sensitive participatory approaches to planning · Guidelines for gender-responsive agricultural planning at the district level |
