By CHRISTABEL LIGAMI Special Correspondent
In Summary
- The grant by the Japan Social Development Fund, which will be managed by the World Bank, aims to fight rural poverty in the country.
Japan has given Kenya a $3 million grant to help improve access to agricultural markets for women farmers, and enhance their business skills.
The grant by the Japan Social Development Fund, which will be managed by the World Bank, aims to fight rural poverty in the country.
Rajashree Paralkar, the World Bank senior operations officer for Kenya, said up to 3,400 women’s projects in dairy and indigenous poultry farming and horticulture in Kitui in Eastern province, and Molo in the Rift Valley, will benefit from the project.
“Through the project they will improve their production capacity, strengthen collective organisation, and develop skills for penetrating markets for their produce,” said Mr Paralkar.
“Empowering women by enhancing their economic opportunities and giving them a stronger voice, accountability, and decision making responsibilities, will play a significant role in bringing about social and economic development in Kenya,” he said.
Groots Kenya, a network of women-led community based organisations and self-help groups working in eight counties, will implement the project which addresses the constraints that rural women face in accessing markets and trade.
The project was started after extensive discussions with the target communities over the past two years.
The programme is aligned with the World Bank-funded Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project, and will collaborate with the government-funded Women’s Enterprise Fund.
It supports the World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy for Kenya, which mainstreams gender to improve equal access of men and women to economic opportunities.
“This initiative demonstrates the World Bank’s commitment to integrating gender in its operations to promote women’s economic and social status,” said Asa Torkelsson, the leader of the task team for the programme.
“It will help the beneficiaries strengthen their business skills and participate more effectively in the agricultural markets value chain.” The two areas selected for the programme have a high concentration of poverty and vulnerability.
Kitui has an estimated poverty level of 63.7 per cent, above the national average of 45 per cent.
It also suffers from climatic shocks and food insecurity, with only 4.2 per cent of its population having access to water.
Molo experiences elevated levels of insecurity due to conflicts over land between different communities, which disrupts investments and development efforts.
The Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project is funded under the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA).
The project helps people living on less than $2 a day by providing loans (called “credits”) and grants for projects and programmes that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives.