Empowering Women in Rural Tanzania: Spotlight on Dodoma’s Women in Agriculture and Business Initiative (DWABI)

Date

March 6, 2024

Challenges that women face in rural Tanzania

Despite their pivotal role in family and community life, women in rural areas face various challenges, encompassing environmental, economic, social, and political factors. Environmental challenges, such as the effects of climate change, degrading soils, lack of natural resource management, and agroecological farming methods, are not directly gender-related but disproportionately affect women, given their predominant engagement in agriculture.

Some specifically gender-related challenges include:

lack of finance
limited access to resources like land
limited access to markets
unremunerated workload
exclusion from decision-making

Dodoma’s Women in Agriculture and Business Initiative (DWABI)

Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) is tackling these challenges within the Dodoma's Women in Agriculture and Business Initiative (DWABI). Since the project’s first phase (2019-2021), DWABI empowers women in the Dodoma Region through training in organic agriculture, small business and saving and lending methods to create climate resilience, increase food security and gender equality.

The project’s second phase (2022-2024) builds on its initial success, ensuring sustained support for smallholder farmers, particularly women, adopting climate-resilient practices and engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Smallholder farmers, some of whom have already been organized into a model-cooperative during the project's first phase, continue to be motivated and supported to practice organic agriculture, engaging in value addition and entrepreneurial activities. The model-cooperative, managed by the majority of women (70%), coordinates production, stores, processes goods, and markets organic agriculture products.

Climate resilience through agroecological practices

To increase climate resilience, SAT trains female smallholder farmers, who are affected by erratic rainfall, persistent droughts, and deteriorating soil health, in agroecological practices. In workshops and trainings, SAT teaches methods and best practices such as agroforestry, farmer managed natural regeneration (a reforestation method), and farming God’s way (a conservation agriculture method) to conserve the environment and reduce pressure on the natural resources. SAT also introduced energy-saving stoves. These are now built by the women and run as an enterprise helping to sustain themselves.

Meanwhile, the DWABI women have already planted 9500 trees and constructed 789 energy saving stoves to protect trees by using less firewood.

Tree nursery preparation training. The groups have established nurseries, using seeds of trees such as Gliricidia sepium and Acacia.

The SAT Saving and Lending Group Model

A specifically gender-related challenge is the lack of finance. It is common for women to hand over earnings to their husband or other male family members who sometimes don’t use it for the benefit of the family. Often, they are also requested to contribute financially to events such as funerals or weddings of the extended family and community. Keeping bigger amounts of money at home comes with additional security issues. This creates difficulties in saving and reinvesting their earnings. To address these difficulties, the SAT Saving and Lending Group (SSLG) Model has been introduced in DWABI to increase women’s access to financial services through saving and lending groups. The SSLG Model is based on the Village Saving and Lending Associations system.

The SSLG Model - How it works in the context of DWABI:

The money savings go into a box which is locked three times and three different group members are in charge of one key each.

SAT Saving and Lending groups are formed.
Women meet weekly to contribute their shares to a business and social fund. The money goes into a box, which is locked three times. Three group members elected from the group are in charge of one key each. The box is stored in the safest house of the village.
If a woman asks for a loan, the group decides together, thus ensuring full transparency. The loan shall not be more than three times of the woman's savings.
When a woman asks for a loan, it must have a business-related purpose, such as buying land or tools for agriculture.
The loans must be repaid within one to three months. There is an annual cut. At the end of the year, the box is opened ceremoniously by the women, and shares are given back to the group members.
Apart from that, the system also includes a social fund to help in case of sickness, childbirth, etc. Money from the social fund does not have to be paid back.

Within the initiative, 98 saving and lending groups have been formed so far, with 830,415,000 TZS (332.166 EUR) cumulative savings circulating as micro-loans within the groups. Through DWABI project, 3 APEXES with 20 saving and lending groups have been formed and registered.

Women acquire leadership skills through SAT training on group dynamics and leadership, and all 98 groups are led by women. They save through their groups, acquire loans, and invest in income-generating activities for livelihood improvement. The weekly meetings serve as innovation accelerators, where women pitch new businesses as they can get a loan to start a business. Furthermore, these meetings foster cohesion among the women, not only in business terms.

From struggle to success

DWABI has already made a real difference for many female farmers in the Dodoma region. Beatrice and Aisha are just two of them.

Beatrice Mtumwa, a 39-year-old single mother of three, had already been a smallholder farmer at the time she joined DWABI in 2019, but was struggling to make ends meet. By leveraging the project's training in organic farming, entrepreneurship, and product branding, she diversified her income streams. Starting with just 36,000 TZS, she also began producing and selling liquid soap. She added knowledge on products upgrading and branding through DWABI II project, rapidly increasing her revenue from 216,000 TZS to 1,380,000 TZS. Now, she saves 33,000 TZS weekly, covers her daughter's school fees, and invests in MVIKAGU Apex shares. Her dream is to further expand her enterprise.

‍"My wish is to be a large liquid soap supplier in this village and away. I know it would take longer to build my brand, but I believe everything is possible with commitment, self-drive, and passion."

Aisha Luka, a 42-year-old mother from Nzali village in Dodoma, faced income instability despite her agricultural expertise. Joining the Mapambano group in 2019, she adopted agroecological methods, doubling her productivity and income. Through proper farming techniques and land expansion, Aisha's annual earnings rose from 500,000 TZS to 1,500,000 TZS. Her success not only improved her family's life but also inspired her to train other women in sustainable agriculture. Additionally, Aisha ventured into soap making and tree seedling sales, further contributing to environmental sustainability and financial stability. With her newfound success, she built a modern home and expanded her agricultural ventures. Read Aisha's full story.

In conclusion, Dodoma's Women in Agriculture and Business Initiative (DWABI), led by Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT), empowers women in rural Tanzania, recognizing their vital role in agriculture and addressing gender-specific challenges and broader environmental issues. Through comprehensive training in organic agriculture, small business management, and the SAT Saving and Lending Group (SSLG) Model, the initiative not only equips women with essential skills but also provides solutions to financial obstacles. The focus on climate-resilient practices through agroecological methods reflects a commitment to sustainable agriculture. As DWABI progresses, it continues to support women's leadership, strengthen community bonds, and create a model for sustainable development in the Dodoma Region.