SECURE INCOMES FOR WOMEN
IN SOUTH ASIA
PROJECT INFORMATION SHEET
The project
This project aims to ensure that marginalised women
farmers in South Asia can increase their income and
produce enough to eat.
The Inclusive Economic Development Programme (IEDP)
works with 4,500 farmers and producers in Bangladesh
and 3,500 farmers in India from the most excluded
communities: dalits and adivasis. These groups suffer
discrimination and are denied access to productive
resources and services.
Our partner in the south of Bangladesh is helping women
gain access to the dairy market and enabling them to
command higher prices for their milk.
In the north of Bangladesh, our partner is working with
families who live on the river islands, known as chars,
helping them to grow maize and chilli.
Our partner in India is working in Odisha, one of the
poorest states in India. They are working with
smallholder farmers and producers in growing turmeric
and developing backyard gardens to produce organic
vegetables.
The programme has been running in various forms since
2010, with the current project funded from 2013-2016,
with £400,000 from the Scottish Government. But there
is still work to do. The Scottish Government has agreed to
commit a further year’s funding of £100,000 on the basis
that Christian Aid supporters raise £14,000. The Scottish
Government will match every pound you raise with £7.
Actions so far
Over the last three years, our partners have worked with
farmers to increase their production, income and ability to
produce enough to eat.
In India:
•One hundred and thirty nine Common Interest Groups
(CIGs) have been formed, building collectives of
farmers and producers at the village or cluster level.
Christian Aid partners are working with farmers in South Asia to
sell surplus produce at market.
• The CIGs have been split into two producer groups:
Annapurna and JJPCL.
• Microloans and training have been provided to
enhance production.
• Business plans have been developed and links built
between buyers and sellers.
In Bangladesh:
•One hundred and sixty CIGs have been formed, building
collectives of farmers and producers at the village/cluster
level.
•Sixteen Rural Sales and Service Centres (RSSCs) have
been established, to ensure improved access to markets.
•The CIGs and RSSCs have received grants for income
generation and training on technology, which will, in turn,
enhance production.
•Business plans have been developed to reduce
dependency on middlemen, to identify potential buyers
and to build links between buyers and sellers.
Your gifts will be matched 7:1 by the Scottish
Government, making your £5,000 worth
£35,000. Your gifts will need to be with Christian
Aid by 31 March 2017.
The impact so far in both countries has been particularly
pronounced for women farmers and producers. The
application of technology and improved farming methods
have helped the women’s confidence to grow. Food
consumption has improved for individuals and their
households, with surpluses sold to buyers at a fair price.
Women have participated in all the decision-making
processes, from pre-production to the marketing stage,
actively engaging with external buyers and sellers. The
increase in their income has given them more control over
their household budgets.
GUK works with poor and smallholder farmers,
especially women, who suffer most from poverty, social
insecurity and the adverse impact of climate change.
What’s next
The Scottish Government has awarded Christian Aid an
additional £100,000 to extend the project by one year.
Along with the £14,000 that we hope you will help us
raise, this additional funding will be used:
• to reach a further 1,000 farming households and
engage with all farmers on organic farming methods
and water harvesting technologies
• to establish 60 seed banks to store traditional varieties
of seeds
• to run workshops and training with the producer groups
and clusters on developing sales and marketing plans
• to run capacity-building workshops in lobbying and
advocacy skills
• to enable the producer companies and RSSCs to
become sustainable entities
• to build strong links with service providers and buyers in
the market
• to continue learning about child marriage, climate
change, literacy and numeracy, gender-based violence,
dowry and nutrition.
Purpose:
To enable farmers to ensure they produce enough
food to eat and to earn an income from the surplus.
Improved farming and sales techniques have helped the farmers
grow in confidence.
Partners
Our partner in India is Visionaries of Creative Action
for Liberation and Progress (VICALP). It works
with two of the most excluded communities in
India: dalits and adivasis. VICALP works through a
network of 16 grassroots civil society organisations.
This part of the project is based in the state of Odisha,
with 57 villages in Kandhamal and Balangir Districts.
Our partners in Bangladesh are Integrated Community
and Industrial Development (INCIDIN) and Gana
Unnoyan Kendra (GUK). INCIDIN’s overarching goal
is to strengthen community-led organisations that
represent socially excluded groups and to promote
entrepreneurship as a tool for poverty reduction.
Partners:
VICALP (India)
INCIDIN and GUK (Bangladesh)
Matched funding ratio: 7:1
Donation deadline: 31 March 2017
Thank you
Creating change in India and Bangladesh will not happen
overnight. We believe that we can realise the potential of
marginalised women farmers in India and Bangladesh.
With your help, our local partners will support them to
buy seeds and equipment with small grants. With training
in advanced farming techniques and seed banks, we will
help ensure that these farmers can rely on a sustainable
income and can produce enough to eat for themselves
and their families.
To find out more information about the South Asia
Project or to pledge your support, please get in
touch with Mary Mulligan, Church Development
Officer, Christian Aid Scotland 0131 240 1523 or
[email protected]
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the Scottish Government. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Christian Aid and can in no way be taken
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Christian Aid. Photos: Christian Aid © Christian Aid June 2016 J5842.