SUPPORT WEP IN BUILDING AN EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY FOR WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Women Environmental Programme is helping local communities to enhance their climate responses by integrating social issues, e.g. poverty alleviation and gender equality, to make adaptation more effective and viable, and create social and environmental co-benefits.
WEP proposes to construct solar dryer tents to fill a gap in agricultural infrastructure for farming communities and provide affordable technology for the drying of foodstuff. This initiative will promote entrepreneurship to reinforce women’s economic empowerment. The objective of this project is to develop a more controlled and healthier drying of agricultural produce. It aims to increase access to food, resources, and commercial activities that enhance economic growth. It will also promote a hygienic and healthier way of living since foodstuffs are dried in a controlled environment and are less likely to be contaminated by pest. This will create employment opportunities, reduce labour burden for women and make drying of foodstuffs faster and more efficient with less spoilage. WEP will hold capacity building sessions for beneficiaries on management and entrepreneurship skills for sustainability of their commercial activities.
This initiative goes a long way in reducing the spoilage of farm products (about 3 tonnes pepper, tomatoes,) and also minimizes gas emissions from the rotten pepper/tomatoes. With the solar dryer, WEP expects 55-75% reduction in the cutting down of trees for the smoking of fishes as well as enough open sun light for drying. Hence resulting in less pressure on forests and improvement of the health of the environment. Climate change brings about the unpredictable weather/rain falls which inhibits efficient sun drying and as result the farm products get rotten and generate gas into the environment, rendering it uninhabitable. The community becomes more climate resilient due to less land degradation, deforestation and has sustainable sanitation solutions.
