Program name: Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development (FFD)

Project name: “WOMEN FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND RESILIENCE – transforming fish farming and forest value-chains in Nepal”

Program Summary:

The project aims to enhance women’s income generation, entrepreneurship and livelihood resilience in Chitwan and Dang districts of Nepal. It enables women to seize a centric role in terms of decision-making and direct economic benefits in fish farming and forest value-chains. Farmers organizations are crucial in the process of breaking discriminating structures and transforming production towards resilient pathways. The project engages 18 organizations which commit to non-discrimination, provide targeted services for women and gear up presentation of their 1200 women members’ interest. New multi-sectoral policy platforms are established linking women producers with local governments’ decision making. Local organizations engage their members and their communities (around 5450 men and women) to acknowledge the importance of rights and responsibilities.

Women improve resilience of fish-farming and NTFP value-chains as the farmers organizations enable greater livelihood security through facilitation of risk mitigation and climate-smart practices. Women identify innovations, new products and services forming income generation opportunities and entrepreneurship. 

FFD implements the project in Nepal in partnership with Federation of Community Forestry Users FECOFUN, Women’s Fish-Farming Cooperative Sundardeep and Forestry cooperative ASEC. FECOFUN is FFD’s main partner responsible for local coordination, expertise and advocacy in Nepal. Sundardeep and ASEC implement the project activities together with their members and networks. Finnish Fish Farming Association (FFFA) and FFD support the project partners with technical advisory services

Objectives:

• To better position women in fish farming and forest value-chains in co-ordination with other two local project partners Sundardeep and ASEC.
• Support women in farmer’s organizations to improve their resilience within fish farming (Sundardeep) and NTFP value-chains (ASEC) enhancing their organizational and institutional capacity.

 Beneficiaries (including rights-holders and duty-bearers)

The project’s direct beneficiaries include 18 producer organizations, of which 13 are formal associations and cooperatives, and 5 are informal groups. The most established organizations, FECOFUN, ASEC and Sundardeep are considered as moral duty-bearers of the project. These organizations are responsible for attaining the project results and mobilizing other groups and producers to support implementation, and these three organizations are therefore chosen to be the official project partners. The other organizations engaged with the project are, Kapia and Mishrit cooperatives and 5 other producer and women’s groups in Chitwan engaged in the carp value chains, Rai, Namuna, Pragati, Nava jyoti, Gaidaha. In addition, the duty-bearers of the project include various district authorities (Fisheries Development Center, District Agriculture Development Office, Cooperative Training Division Office, and Department of Forest, Mayor of  Tulsipur),  that are expected to provide full technical and political support for theproject cause.

Program Intervention Site: Chitwan, Dang

Duration: 2020-2024