Project News

Our team conducted the Gender Awareness Training of Trainers and in-field trainings in Mashonaland East province from the 15th to the 18th of December 2020.

Our gender mainstreaming trainings aims to promote an understanding of gender roles and responsibilities, access and control of resources for men and women in farming households. The goal of the activities is to encourage both wife and husband to work and make decisions together regarding their farming enterprise to make their farming more effective and profitable. Furthermore, it seeks to strengthen the relationships of the household.

In the training, we mainly have three group exercises such as Roles and Responsibilities, Access and Control of resources, Daily calendar making. Since these exercises are done by farmers, they can realize the challenges and needs for improving their farming activities by themselves through exercises and presentation.

Throughout the trainings, farmers were saying they decisions regarding what to grow was made by an individual usually man without consulting the spouse. After the gender awareness trainings farmers learnt the importance of joint decision making by both husband and wife. Furthermore, husbands told that they would assist their wives with reproductive activities^[1] to lessen the burden, which will result in more time spent on productive activities. This will lead to an increase in agricultural productivity and enhancing profitability in their farm business management. Moreover, the joint decision making will also improve their farm management.

It was the very first time for frontline officers to conduct gender trainings in the field. These findings will be used to implement more effective gender sensitive SHEP trainings in the field.

Gender awareness Training of trainers in Mashonaland East