By Violet Nabatanzi
A new agricultural program has been launched to empower women and build their capabilities by integrating modern technologies that will enhance their production.
The program, dubbed “Empowering Women in Agriculture (EWA) also aims to provide women with the knowledge and skills needed to adopt modern farming techniques, sustainable practices, and effective business management among others.
The program is currently spearheaded by Action Against Hunger and the Institute for Social Transformation (IST). It will focus on organizing women farmers around the cassava and millet value chains, extending support up to the last mile.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Social Transformation, Maureen Wagubi, said the two value chains they have identified cut across different regions.
“We are trying to ensure that they add value to these products. That is why we want to promote the two value chains that we are going to move forward with, which are millet and cassava,” she said.
Wagubi noted that the program will operate at a regional level, tailored to the unique agricultural products of each area. The focus will be on forming cooperatives, driving production, and leading policy advocacy, all spearheaded by women.
“We want women to be rich that is where empowering women in Agriculture comes from,” Wagudi said.
Uganda has become the 10th country to join the EWA, a continent-wide initiative aimed at boosting women’s roles in agriculture across Africa. Other participating countries include Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Malawi, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, among others, each focusing on a particular crop.
Speaking during the launch of the EWA program – Uganda Chapter at Four Points by Sheraton on Friday, John Lodungokol, the Assistant Commissioner of Crop Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Industry, who represented the State Minister for Agriculture, said empowering women would not only improve their livelihoods but also enhance overall productivity.
He mentioned that the government has invested in programs and initiatives tailored to the needs of women, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), which provides affordable financial support targeting women at the parish level.
However, economic empowerment, asset ownership, access to markets, and availability of finance and technology continue to limit women’s farming opportunities and participation in agriculture.
Ritah Kabanyoro, the Country Director of Action Against Hunger, said, “If we want Ugandan women to be known for cassava, we want to have women involved in production, post-harvest, value addition, transportation, and marketing.”
She noted that women previously complained that when they earned money from agricultural activities, their husbands would take the money from them. The program will ensure the setup of an entire value chain process led by women.
“We don’t want to keep the woman just in the garden; we want them to be part of these decisions and earn money out of agriculture,” she said.
Mme. Bineta Diop, the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security, emphasized that technology is crucial in agriculture. She also highlighted the need to create a critical mass of women in cooperatives and across the entire value chain, including transformation and marketing.
Dr Victoria Sekitoleko, the former Minister of Agriculture, said the EWA program recognizes the importance of women in agribusiness. She added that it is very important because, at the end of the day, it is the women who produce and decide what will be eaten, how, and when.
“As long as Uganda is an agricultural country and as long as what we eat comes from agriculture, it is important to empower the people in charge,” she said.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Mme. Bineta Diop, the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security signing during the launch of Empowering Women in Agriculture Program in Kampala. Photo by Violet Nabatanzi
