• About
  • Our Work
  • Join
  • Partner
  • Media
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

Sign-up for monthly updates on Winrock's work around the world.

Volunteer Blog

VOLUNTEER BLOG

The Benefits of Balancing Quality vs Quantity Produces Better Value and Sustainability

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Mike Bassey, F2F Regional Director

The USAID-funded John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program provides technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries to promote sustainable improvements in food security and agricultural processing, production, and marketing. Recently we asked F2F Regional Director, Mike Bassey, why is women’s empowerment important for the F2F program. Read on to see what he had to say about #HerImpact in building a food secure world.

F2F Regional Director, Mike Bassey

In general, women are known for their perspective in agricultural activities from the quality rather than quantity perspective and are therefore inclined to safer use of pesticides for example. For instance, during a session on business/project development and grant proposal writing attended by both women and men, a class activity which focused on women and men perspectives on shrimp production was administered. During this activity, women saw shrimps as a source of food, needing safe production processes and practices – uniform standards of quality rather than quantity. As a food, better quality has greater demand/expanded market, greater demand/expanded market equals increase production, increased production presents opportunity for increased employment/increased profits and opportunity to earn more money. Profitable shrimp business equals improved living standards and investment opportunities.

Within the agriculture industry, there are many opportunities for a woman with little or no support to start a small business that can begin to support herself and her children, and/or elderly or disabled family members. Women are more apt to create agri-businesses from produce that doesn’t make it to the market and/or to create an additional income stream into the family for expenses of education, medical care and investment into the growth of their farming and agricultural businesses. For instance, women use bees wax to produce body cream, wine, candles, which they sell in the local market.

Additionally, women use reeds, grasses and husks to make baskets, brooms and mats for home and community use. Local teas and beverages are produced without additives that vitalize people’s health, soothe mild aches and adds nutritional value to their diets.

The more women are involved in agricultural cooperatives, the more opportunities are presented. Working together with other women enable them access funding and selling in bulk with other farmers provides the ability to access bigger markets further away. Agricultural cooperatives provide information on how to access opportunities, how to produce better crops, how to package products, how to store products in storage silos, how to use new equipment, and joint ownership of large equipment. These opportunities have been mostly available to men, as cooperatives are only now understanding the value of an inclusive gender membership.

These opportunities also allow women to make choices in their lives – ones that can help secure and protect them and their children from abuse and violence/or neglect and other vulnerabilities, ones that enable them earn respect and place in the community, ones that can help them add value to their family income and resources, or ones that position them as role models to their children and to fellow women in community.

Women’s roles in all societies and cultures are multifaceted and cannot be ignored. There is therefore an increasing need for family, community, private and public sector and the donor community support to women; otherwise, we all lose out on creating a more productive and efficient and sustainable food security system to enhances our health and growth.

| Tagged empowerment, Feed the Future, food security
ABOUT FARMER-TO-FARMER WINROCK VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE

SUBSCRIBE TO POSTS

Loading

ARCHIVE

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011

CATEGORIES

  • AET
  • Africa
    • Ghana
    • Senegal
  • Asia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cuba
  • El Salvador
  • Ethiopia
  • Field Staff
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Latin America
  • Mali
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Postharvest
  • Rural Livelihoods
  • Senegal
  • Spotlights
  • Volunteer Feedback
  • Volunteer of the Month
  • Winrock Staff
WinrockIntl
Tweets by @WinrockIntl
Follow @WinrockIntl

204 E 4th Street | North Little Rock, Arkansas 72114

ph +1 501 280 3000 | fx +1 501 280 3090

2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 700 | Arlington, Virginia 22202

ph +1 703 302 6500 | fx +1 703 302 6512

  • Contact
  • E-News Signup
  • Low Bandwidth
  • Code of Conduct
  • Winrock Privacy Statement
  • Site Map
  • Terms of Use
Copyright © 2015- Winrock International
DEV ENVIRONMENT