To leverage the experiences from successful implementation of the Women's Empowerment Farmers Business School (WE-FBS) approach in Cambodia, Kenya and Uganda, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a capitalization meeting in Naivasha, Kenya from 30 May to 2 June 2023.

The WE-FBS is an approach developed by FAO together with the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) and Care International, which aims to promote rural women’s economic empowerment by strengthening the capacities of rural men and women farmers to create profitable enterprises while at the same time transforming gender relations in the household, community and markets. It has been piloted in Cambodia since April 2021, as well as in Kenya and Uganda.

The capitalization meeting in Kenya therefore provided a space for WE-FBS national implementing partners and collaborators from the three countries to review the achievements attained from implementation, reflect on the lessons learned and to discuss potential opportunities for replication and scale-up of the WE-FBS approach.

The Cambodia experience

In Cambodia the WE-FBS was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in close collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and their provincial departments in Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey. The initiative has reached over 2 000 producers, 60 percent of whom are women.

“All the participants in Cambodia showed enthusiasm and interest for the approach and expressed their commitment to continue supporting WE-FBS groups,” Kosal Oum, Assistant FAO Representative for FAO Cambodia said of the Cambodia experience, during the capitalization workshop in Kenya.

This is echoed in the experiences of WE-FBS members in Cambodia, such as Kang Champa, from Phreah Neth Phreah, who talked about how WE-FBS empowered her:

“On the first few WE-FBS sessions, I was so passive and shy to share my personal opinions. I thought that my idea was not good and would be rejected. My facilitators and other members tried to motivate me again and again to talk in group discussions, so I was a bit confident to speak up in the group, and then I felt more motivated to present my group discussion results to the larger group.”

Similarly, Ms. Ti Tola, a member in Sotr Nikom, Siem Reap, has shared her experience of bringing home some of the WE-FBS exercises, the 24 hours daily activities and gender balance tree, to discuss with her husband and how these reaped good outcomes for the household:

“At first, he was so awkward to join the discussion with me, but I insisted on it. My husband and I now shared more responsibilities on household chores and childcare. When he arrives home, he has not gone to drink with his friends, but takes care of the children. He is more understanding of how busy I am from the time get up till bedtime and how little time I have to sleep. The discussion on the gender balance tree was more interactive. We identified what activities we have done for income generation and for family without incomes and expense. We identified that we have unnecessary expenditures, and we are planning to reduce them in order to save more money for our farm business. I also found that our relationship is getting better,” Tola said.

Building a community of practice

Stakeholders during the meeting in Kenya expressed their enthusiasm for the WE-FBS and the creation of a community of practice, which can foster cross-country learning and enable development of gender responsive policies and programmes. Interactions with farmer community members through meetings and field visits also drew positive feedback and highlighted benefits of the approach for participating communities.

Overall, the WE-FBS approach has made significant strides in the three countries, benefiting over 10 000 individuals, with 60 percent being women. The approach ensures inclusivity and equal opportunities recognizing that women and men face distinct challenges in subsistence and commercial farming. It places both women and men farmers at the core of the transformative process, encouraging them to reflect on their roles, available resources, and farming activities. Through the program, participants develop strategies to maximize their commercial potential.

Reflections and lessons on the implementation of the approach will inform future scaling-up of interventions for greater impact and sustainable results in promoting gender equality and more inclusive agrifood systems.

About the WE-FBS: A gender transformative approach

FAO, KIT and CARE International have collaborated since 2017, for the development of the WE-FBS. The objective of the approach is to contribute to: develop the capacity of rural women farmers to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability of their activities/enterprises; strengthen their entrepreneurial skills and capacity to engage in lucrative value chains and access market opportunities; strengthen rural women’s and men organizations and governance structure, and networking capacity; and sensitize community members on gender issues and women empowerment.

The approach offers a series of exercises with tools aimed at strengthening the capacities of women and men producers to pursue market opportunities, while analyzing and discussing gender roles and challenges. It provides a safe space for critical reflection on interactions, resource distribution, and socio-cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based inequalities.