CRWEE: women’s climate-resilient livelihoods

FAO’s program to economically empower women in Karamoja and West Nile. AGRILIV, with sister organisation AGRENES, delivered its renewable energy component across Nebbi, Zombo, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Adjumani, Abim, Napak, Moroto and Nakapiripirit.

Why it matters

Women provide most of the farm labour in Uganda, yet plots managed by women produce about 13% less than those managed by men, because women have less access to land, inputs, credit and services. In Karamoja and West Nile, floods, dry spells and erratic rain add to that burden.

Objectives

• Strengthen knowledge and institutional capacity for gender-responsive climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Improve household income and climate-resilient livelihoods in a gender-responsive way
• Strengthen ecosystems’ capacity to adapt and to mitigate pollution

What we did

• Raised awareness of smallholder biogas as a climate mitigation tool with district and community leaders
• Trained youth champions to fabricate, install and service Flexi-Biogas and to run it as a business
• Fabricated and installed smallholder biogas systems with each district farmers’ association
• Monitored the carbon dioxide offset by households using biogas
• Documented the social and economic benefits for households

Results

• 96 smallholder biogas systems installed, each farmer household trained in digester management and bio-slurry use
• 48 youth champions trained in fabrication, installation and running biogas as a service business
• Youth entrepreneurs in Maracha and Koboko completed five days of training in digester management and marketing, then practised on household installations
• Half the beneficiaries were women in Maracha, Yumbe and Zombo, at least 63% in Nebbi, and all four in Moroto, with district officials briefed in each district

District installation reports on file