The issue of gender is addressed in the project design by stressing and strengthening the role of women in family farming, especially in the social context of female-headed households, as well as the environmental context of water shortage and the use of firewood for cooking. Women also play key roles in sustainable livelihoods that offer alternatives to unsustainable production practices, such as use of native fruits and nuts and commercial handicrafts like basketry and bio-jewelry. Such new roles promote empowerment. Cisterns that provide availability of water near the house and reduced need for firewood relieve women and girls of heavy burdens of fetching water, washing laundry in streams and gathering wood. Cisterns also improve hygiene. Men should also assume some of the responsibilities that are traditionally feminine. The participation of women will be encouraged through insistence about their presence and voice and will be monitored in lists of participants in training and meetings. In addition to gender, issues regarding youth and the elderly will be addressed in order to facilitate sustainable family arrangements needed for the survival of small-scale farming systems. In addition to education, youth have knowledge of modern technology like computer spreadsheets and access to means of communication like mobile telephones and internet, while the elderly have traditional knowledge and wisdom, as well as determination to persist in the face of adversity.
Project Objective, Outcomes And Outputs/Activities
