Project profile — Supporting Smallholder Farmers - COVID-19 Response - Nicaragua

This project aims to improve equitable and sustainable livelihoods for women and men smallholder farmers in Nicaragua’s Dry Corridor, with a particular focus on the empowerment of women farmers, to ensure that they can withstand economic and climate shocks. This project uses a women’s economic empowerment approach. This project supports smallholder farmers to become empowered and resilient agricultural producers, capable of adapting to climate change and supplying products of high quality and in quantities to access formal markets. This project also works to improve food security and address impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on poor rural families.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced enabling environment to promote gender equality among smallholder farmers in rural areas; and (2) strenghtened and gender-sensitive climate and economic resilience and climate change adaptation practices of 2,000 women and 2,000 men smallholder farmers.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) reached 4,604 smallholder farmers (2,296 women) through climate adaptation actions, including improving water management; (2) 1,381 women and men smallholder farmers participated in training on gender-related topics, including gender equality concepts, participation and decision-making and management; (3) provided 4,137 smallholder farmers (2,106 women) with climate-smart technology, tools, information, training and agricultural inputs for sustainable agricultural production; (4) provided training in commercialization, negotiation and basic accounting 845 women to improve their abilities to access markets and secure higher profit margins; (5) trained 1,024 women farmers in post-harvest, production and environmental resilience, encouraging the adoption of sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems; (6) installed 247 eco stoves in smallholder farmers’ home, reducing the quantity of woodfire needed to cook by approximately 50 percent; (7) supported 8 micro-enterprises and food production transformation initiatives in the development of artisanal value-added products like yogourt, bread, beans, and fertilizer; (8) supported 30 Women Economic Empowerment Groups (reaching 939 women) with tailored training on leadership, entrepreneurship, brand development, good manufacturing practices and product transformation; and (9) provided 3,997 smallholder farmers with COVID-19 prevention kits for their families, 36% of which are led by women.