Rural Women Cultivating Change in Ethiopia Kenya and Tanzania

The project works at the intersection of women’s rights and climate adaptation. The project aims to empower women and encourage gender-transformative change through the use of agroecological approaches that encourage equitable production resource management and market access. Working in collaboration with women’s rights organizations (WROs) and agricultural-based organizations support is provided to advance climate adaptation increase food security enhance gender equality reduce sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and improve livelihoods for rural women. The project targets remote rural regions of Ethiopia Kenya and Tanzania where farming is the primary occupation and principal use of women’s labour. The specific geographic areas that the project will target include North Wollo Zone of Amhara Region in Ethiopia; Baringo Nakuru Kakamega Laikipia and Kitui counties in Kenya; and Morogoro and Gairo District Councils of Morogoro Babati and Mbulu District Councils of Manyara and Mwanga and Same District Councils of Kilimanjaro Regions in Tanzania. These regions are adversely impacted by climate change; food insecurity; patriarchal norms and practices; and high rates of SGBV that severely limit women’s household and community leadership roles and affect their agricultural practices. This project contributes to Canada’s commitments to climate adaptation gender equality women’s empowerment sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and sub-Saharan Africa. SeedChange is working with local agricultural organizations local women’s rights organizations for exchanging methodologies and operations support in all three countries. In Ethiopia they are working in partnership with Women Empowerment Action (WE-Action) and the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD). In Kenya with Grass Roots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS) Hivos East Africa and Seed Savers Network (SSN). In Tanzania with Participatory Ecological Land Use Management

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced and more systematic engagement of and by diverse young and adult rural women from Female-headed households and Male-headed households in public leadership and gender-transformative decision-making processes including women’s and farmers’ rights and climate adaptation; (2) strengthened prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) including traditional harmful practices (THPs) by individuals (f/m) and state/civil society actors; and (3) enhanced benefit for young and adult women particularly from FHHs in climate-resilient and local food systems including income-generation.