Agriculture Sector Gender HIV and AIDS Strategy

In 2003, the Ministry developed the first Gender, HIV and AIDS strategy for the agriculture sector which was implemented between 2003 and 2008. Building on the gaps and lessons identified from the evaluation of the strategy in 2009, the Ministry in collaboration with various stakeholders has developed this strategy to guide the implementation of gender, HIV and AIDS responsive programs and projects in the Agriculture Sector.
The strategy has been developed through a participatory process, which involved consultations with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.
The goal of this strategy is to contribute to sustainable and equitable food, nutrition and income security at national, community and household level through the empowerment of women and other vulnerable gender categories.
The purpose of the strategy is to promote gender equality, prevent the spread of HIV and mitigate the impacts of AIDS in order to increase agricultural productivity in line with ASWAp priorities.
The strategy has 3 pillars and these are: quality participation of women and other vulnerable gender categories in ASWAp focus areas and key support services, Gender, HIV and AIDS responsive technology generation and dissemination and Effective coordination, capacity building and resource mobilization.
Under these pillars, the specific objectives are: (i) to improve food, nutrition security and agro-based income among vulnerable groups in order to reduce gender disparities and contribute to HIV prevention and mitigation of AIDS impacts, (ii) to strengthen women’s access to and control over agriculture resources, opportunities, benefits and decision making processes at household, community and national levels, (iii) to reduce factors that promote gender inequality and spread of HIV due to agricultural related mobility and migration, (iv) to promote generation and dissemination of gender, HIV and AIDS responsive technologies and information, (v) to strengthen leadership and coordination of the Gender, HIV and AIDS strategy for harmonized and decentralized implementation, (vi) to mobilize, track and effectively utilize financial and technical resources for the implementation of Gender, HIV and AIDS strategy, (vii) to strengthen the gender, HIV and AIDS responsiveness of agriculture sector monitoring and evaluation system for enhanced accountability, learning and sharing, (viii) to build and sustain capacity of agriculture sector institutions and vulnerable groups to effectively mainstream gender, HIV and AIDS issues and actions.
In order to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, the strategy will focus on food security, nutrition and risk management by improving food nutrition security and agro based income among vulnerable groups, in order to reduce gender disparities and contribute to HIV prevention and mitigation of AIDS impacts.
In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, the government plans to focus on sustainable agricultural land and water management and to increase participation of vulnerable group in agro-based, fisheries, sustainable food production among others: (i) build capacity of women and other vulnerable gender categories in sustainable production and utilization of fish species, indigenous crops and livestock, (ii) scale up best practices in agro-biodiversity management amongst vulnerable gender categories, especially women, (iii) build capacity of agricultural institutions in mainstreaming gender, HIV and AIDS in agro-biodiversity and climate variability and change management programmes and policies, (iv) Promote fish farming for women and other vulnerable gender categories in order to improve protein intake among farming communities, particularly for PLHIV.
Regarding the reduction of the rural poverty, the government plans to implement the following strategies: (i) promote research on climate variability and change that addresses the needs of women farmers and other vulnerable gender categories, (ii) promote access to gender, HIV and AIDS services for mobile and migrant workers in the agriculture sector Short to long term, (iii) develop and implement mechanisms for improving women’s access to and control over agricultural and fisheries resources (such as land, water, information) and benefits, (iv) conduct awareness campaigns on the importance of women’s participation in decision making in agriculture and fisheries, (v) build capacity of extension workers, women and other vulnerable gender categories in group and enterprise management, (vi) develop and implement mechanisms for targeting women, PLHIV and youths with agricultural and fisheries extension services.
To enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the government plans to promote participation of vulnerable groups in commercially oriented agro based and fisheries enterprises and marketing.
In the context of governance, the implementation arrangement of the strategy has been structured in a way that will allow active participation of relevant stakeholders from the Public and Private Sector, Civil Society and Development Partners at all levels actively participate. At national level, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will provide policy guidance in the implementation of the strategy through the Executive Management Committee of ASWAp. The Technical Working Group on Gender, HIV and AIDS will guide the implementation of the strategy.