• President

Agueh Dossi Sekonnou Gloria is the president of the RFLD. She can be reached at AGUEH.DOSSI@RFLGD.ORG.

  • Secretariat

The secretariat is responsible for administrative tasks such as managing correspondence, scheduling meetings, and providing administrative support to the RFLD’s staff and programs. The secretariat can be reached at ADMIN@RFLGD.ORG.

  • Finance Department

The finance department is responsible for the RFLD’s financial management, including budgeting, accounting, and fundraising. The finance department can be reached at FINANCE@RFLGD.ORG.

  • Program Department

The program department is responsible for developing and implementing the RFLD’s programs, which focus on women’s rights, gender equality, and sustainable development. The program department can be reached at PROGRAMS@RFLGD.ORG.

RFLD West and Central African Women Farmers Fund for Direct Funding
The West and Central African Women Farmers Fund for Direct Funding (WCAWFF-DF) is a flexible and accessible fund that supports women farmers in West and Central Africa to start or expand their businesses, adopt sustainable agriculture practices, and adapt to climate change. The fund is unique in that it provides funding directly to women farmers, without a competitive selection process.
Women farmers play a vital role in agriculture in West and Central Africa. They produce over 70% of the food in the region, and they are responsible for feeding their families and communities. However, women farmers are also disproportionately affected by environmental and climate injustices. Land grabbing, deforestation, extractives, climate, and water injustices are all widespread across the region, and women bear the brunt of their impacts. For example, women farmers are often displaced from their land by multinational corporations, who then use it for mining, logging, or other extractive activities. This can have a devastating impact on women's livelihoods and food security. In addition, women farmers are often the hardest hit by climate change. They are more likely to rely on rain-fed agriculture, which is becoming increasingly unreliable due to more frequent droughts and floods. Climate change is also exacerbating water scarcity, which makes it more difficult for women farmers to grow their crops.
Lack of access to land: Women farmers often lack access to land in their own names, making it difficult for them to own and manage their own farms. Lack of access to credit: Women farmers often have difficulty accessing credit from banks and other financial institutions. Lack of access to markets: Women farmers often have difficulty getting their products to market and selling them at fair prices. Sustainable agriculture practices: Women farmers often lack the knowledge and resources to adopt sustainable agriculture practices. Climate change adaptation strategies: Women farmers are disproportionately affected by climate change, but they often lack the resources and knowledge to develop and implement climate change adaptation strategies.
Women farmers play a vital role in the agricultural sector in West and Central Africa. They make up over 50% of the agricultural workforce in the region, but they face a number of challenges, including lack of access to land, credit, and markets. Additionally, women farmers are disproportionately affected by climate change. The RFLD fund was established to address the challenges faced by women farmers and to support them to reach their full potential. The fund is committed to supporting sustainable agriculture practices and climate change adaptation, as well as gender equality and women's empowerment.
The WCAWFF-DF is still in its early stages of operation, but it has already begun to make a positive impact on the lives of women farmers in West and Central Africa. The fund has supported women farmers to start or expand their businesses, invest in sustainable agriculture practices, and adapt to climate change. The WCAWFF-DF is committed to supporting the sustainable development of the agricultural sector in West and Central Africa. By supporting women farmers, the fund is helping to create jobs, improve food security, and build resilience to climate change.
The proposed program is justified by the need to address the environmental and climate injustices that are disproportionately affecting women farmers in West and Central Africa. The program will help to increase women's access to land and other agricultural resources, promote sustainable agricultural practices, and strengthen women's organizations and networks so that they can advocate for their rights. The fund is also justified by the potential benefits it will have for women farmers and their families and communities. The fund is expected to increase women's incomes, improve their food security, and reduce their vulnerability to climate change. The project will also help to strengthen the agricultural sector and promote sustainable development in the region.
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Goals:

  • Increase women’s access to land and other agricultural resources
  • Promote sustainable agricultural practices that are resilient to climate change
  • Strengthen women’s organizations and networks so that they can advocate for their rights

Indicators:

  • Increase the percentage of women farmers who own or have secure access to land
  • Increase the percentage of women farmers who use sustainable agricultural practices
  • Increase the number of women-led agricultural organizations
  • Increase the number of women who participate in decision-making processes related to agriculture and natural resource management

Program Activities:

  • Conduct training and capacity building workshops for women farmers on sustainable agricultural practices, climate change adaptation strategies, and advocacy
  • Provide financial support to women farmers to help them purchase agricultural inputs, invest in new technologies, and diversify their production
  • Support women farmers to establish and strengthen their organizations and networks
  • Advocate for policies and programs that support women’s access to land, finance, and other agricultural resources

How to apply for funding

Women farmers can apply for funding from the WCAWFF-DF at any time. The application form can be requested from the RFLD’s Secretariat.

Funding areas

The WCAWFF-DF supports a wide range of activities, including:

  • Starting or expanding agricultural businesses
  • Investing in sustainable agriculture practices
  • Adapting to climate change
  • Accessing training and support services

Benefits of direct funding

Direct funding offers a number of benefits to women farmers, including:

  • It is more accessible to women farmers, especially those with limited resources or who are not familiar with competitive funding processes.
  • It is less time-consuming and administratively burdensome for women farmers.
  • It allows the fund to provide support to women farmers based on their individual needs, rather than on their ability to compete in a competitive selection process.

Engagement at the Regional Level

This program to empower women farmers in West and Central Africa to address environmental and climate injustices is linked to regional mechanisms such as the ECOWAS, CEMAC, Special Rapporteur on women’s rights of the ACHPR, and African Union Department on Agriculture and Human Rights Affairs in the following ways:

ECOWAS

  • The ECOWAS Gender Policy (2019-2029) aims to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the ECOWAS region. This project supports this policy by empowering women farmers to improve their livelihoods and address the challenges of environmental and climate change.
  • The ECOWAS Comprehensive Agriculture Development Programme (ECOWAP) aims to develop agriculture in the ECOWAS region in a sustainable and inclusive manner. This project supports ECOWAP by providing women farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to succeed in agriculture.

CEMAC

  • The CEMAC Gender Policy (2018-2022) aims to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the CEMAC region. This project supports this policy by empowering women farmers to improve their livelihoods and address the challenges of environmental and climate change.
  • The CEMAC Agriculture and Rural Development Policy (2009-2020) aims to develop agriculture and rural areas in the CEMAC region in a sustainable and inclusive manner. This project supports this policy by providing women farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to succeed in agriculture.

Special Rapporteur on women’s rights of the ACHPR

  • The ACHPR Special Rapporteur on the rights of women in Africa (SRW) is a mandate-holder of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The SRW’s mandate is to promote and protect the rights of women in Africa. This project supports the SRW’s mandate by empowering women farmers to improve their livelihoods and address the challenges of environmental and climate change.

African Union Department on Agriculture and Human Rights Affairs

  • The African Union Department on Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is responsible for promoting agricultural development and rural development in Africa. The DARD’s Human Rights Unit is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights in the context of agriculture and rural development. This project would support the DARD’s work by empowering women farmers to improve their livelihoods and address the challenges of environmental and climate change.

In addition to these specific linkages, the program is also linked to the broader goals of the regional mechanisms listed above. For example, the fund contributes to the following:

  • The promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment
  • The development of sustainable and inclusive agriculture
  • The protection and promotion of human rights, including the rights of women

By linking with these regional mechanisms, the project amplifies its impact and contribute to the broader goal of empowering women farmers in West and Central Africa to address environmental and climate injustices.

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