November 21, 2016 – Bamako, Mali – In collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Community of Practice on Gender, Cotton and Food Security of the “Four-Country Cotton Partnership” project (USAID C4CP), implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), is organizing the Forum on Women’s Access to Productive Resources in the C-4 Countries (Benin, Burkina, Chad and Mali) from November 22 to 25, 2016, at Azalaï Hotel Salam, Bamako, Mali.
The Forum’s overall objective is to provide an exchange platform on how to facilitate access to land and credit for women cotton farmers and processors in the C-4 countries. Specifically, the forum will:
- Review existing land policies/initiatives at the national and regional levels.
- Review existing credit mechanisms at the national and regional levels.
- Consider ways to make these policies/initiatives accessible to rural women farmers and processors.
- Propose practical strategies for government and regional institutions to facilitate effective access to land and credit for women farmers and processors.
The forum will adopt a participatory approach with plenary sessions, open discussions and group work. The various sessions will also be supplemented by country-specific presentations, presentations by regional institutions, development partners and the sharing of experiences between women farmers and processors.
About 100 participants drawn from governments of the C-4 countries, members of the Community of Practice, the AU, UNECA and cotton farmers and processors are invited to this forum.
At the end of the forum, the following results are expected:
- Existing land policies and initiatives are reviewed.
- Existing credit mechanisms are reviewed.
- Recommendations for more effective facilitation of access to land and credit for women farmers and processors are developed.
- Practical strategies for the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations are defined.
Contacts:
Daniel Nana Sei Mensah
+223 62 19 68 30;
Amadou Ouadidje
+223 66 98 02 36
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IFDC is a public international organization addressing critical issues such as international food security, the alleviation of global hunger and poverty, environmental protection and the promotion of economic development and self-sufficiency through the use of agricultural technologies including fertilizers and other inputs.
The “Four-Country Cotton Partnership” (USAID C4CP) is a four-year (2014-2018) $14.8 million project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) aimed at improving food security in targeted areas of the C-4 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali). The strategic objective of the project is to increase the incomes of male and female producers, as well as cotton processors in targeted areas. USAID C4CP focuses on cotton and rotational crops, mainly cereals and legumes.
The Community of Practice (CoP) on Gender, Cotton and Food Security is a voluntary platform for experts, male and female farmers and processors, aimed at promoting exchange and actions for the integration of gender and the empowerment of women in agriculture, including cotton production and its potential for food security. The CoP provides a platform which facilitates linkages and information sharing among stakeholders, organizations, networks, projects and programs operating in this domain at the continent level.
