Women’s Economic Inclusion in Fayoum

Gender Component of the Fayoum Wastewater Expansion Programme

Description

The “Gender Component of the Fayoum Wastewater Expansion Programme: EBRD ‘Women’s Economic Inclusion in Fayoum'” aims to improve women’s economic inclusion in the Fayoum Governorate by supporting their access to economic opportunities in areas such as commercial agriculture, agricultural value chains, fisheries, and related handicrafts in the area around Lake Qarun. In particular, the project aims to:

  • Promote institutional capacity building for the creation of women-led businesses or equivalent entities such as cooperatives in areas such as commercial agriculture, agricultural value chains, fisheries and related handicrafts, in the Fayoum Governorate with a focus on the Lake Qarun area relevant to the EBRD investment, and in close collaboration with local stakeholders such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) and the National Council for Women (NCW);
  • Provide support to the formalization of existing women-led informal activities in agriculture or related economic activities;
  • Facilitate access to technical and business advice services for women-led MSMEs in the Fayoum Governorate and facilitate women farmers’ and agri-entrepreneurs’ access to inputs, and market information, through the engagement of advisor(s) to provide financial literacy trainings, assistance with business plans and overall guidance and mentoring;
  • Facilitate access to credit and financial tools,
  • Identify inclusive procurement opportunities for women in agricultural value chains to facilitate access to market information including regulation and paperwork needed, as well as provide support to seize new job opportunities in agriculture or related activities,
  • Identify the relevant institutions and stakeholders and provide technical advice and support to formulate a programme focused on the promotion of women’s access to economic opportunities in the Fayoum Governorate.

Services

Implementation Support and Capacity Building (1-year programme)

  • Facilitate access to finance and training on how to raise funds (financial literacy trainings)
  • Provide training on climate change adaptation practices and sustainable commercial agriculture.
  • Facilitate women-led businesses’ participation in commercial agriculture, agricultural value chains, fisheries and related handicrafts.
  • Provide support to the formalization of existing women-led informal activities in agriculture;
  • Promote outreach and institutional capacity-building for the creation of women-led businesses (or equivalent entities such as cooperatives, farmers’ associations);
  • Provide technical and business skills training.
  • Provide networking opportunities to women entrepreneurs through the development of digital channels (e.g. portal, website), organisation of events (such as farmer field schools).
  • Organise study tour/site visits of women farmers to agri-MSMEs and larger agri- businesses.
  • Develop a detailed manual/ sustainability model for the intervention, detailing options and recommendations on how these trainings could be replicated in the future.

Baseline and Needs Assessment

  • Identify overall barriers to entrepreneurship and business creation for women in agriculture.
  • Conduct a gender-responsive value chain analysis in Egypt focusing on the different stages of the agriculture supply chain with a particular emphasis on the levels where local MSME’s operate.
  • Conduct research on best practices in Egypt and other countries if relevant, to promote and support women’s participation in entrepreneurship and business development.
  • Conduct an institutional assessment including a stakeholder mapping of local institutions as well as existing programmes and support provided to farmers.
  • Conduct market research to identify market opportunities for women’s participation in local, national and international markets and provide recommendations on the best mechanism channels to access these markets.
  • Evaluate the different women-led organic clusters in the selected villages and identify those clusters with commercially viable products.

Stakeholder Engagement and Cooperation Arrangements

  • Facilitate a planning workshop with relevant institutional stakeholders in Fayoum Governorate to discuss research findings and obtain input for the formulation of the program and identify gender focal points for the planned activities;

Communication and Visibility

  • Enhancing project’s visibility and ensure support and sustainability of the intervention