The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns have placed a heavy burden on women and marginalized communities. Women in agriculture and forestry sectors help boost productivity significantly across the value chain but seldom have their voices heard in policy decisions. They reap lesser pay and benefits from the products of their labour. During the pandemic, with diminishing household incomes and greater food insecurity, forests in particular have faced greater stress for subsistence and livelihoods. During this time, women, as household managers, have been critical in making sustainable choices for their families, communities and local environments alike.
Microfinance programs such as CAMGEW’s initiative can play a critical role in building resilience for women, communities and the forest during times of crisis.
BES-Net’s virtual Regional Trialogue for Francophone Africa, held in November 2020, brought together members of the practice sector from seven different countries, including Cameroon. The purpose of the Trialogue was to exchange and strengthen knowledge on increasingly critical themes of pollination, biodiversity and food security in the COVID-19 era. Roughly a dozen participants from Cameroonian civil society organizations shared their inspirational stories as they collectively work to strengthen women and Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the eco-business and agroforestry sectors.
Mr. Emmanuel Wirsiy Binnyuy is the Executive Director of the Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW), an organization aimed at building capacity for women and young people in eco-business and forest regeneration in the Kilum-Ijim forest area. CAMGEW’s microfinance program provides entrepreneurial training and loans to women who then form solidarity groups or cooperatives that work together to lift their communities. To date, 1,580 women have been trained and 1,325 women have received loans through the organization. Mr. Wirsiy elaborates: "The cooperatives create savings plans that provide a form of insurance for those who cannot repay their loans at times. They also help mentor and train women who do not yet meet the eligibility criteria for loans."
Microfinance programs such as CAMGEW’s initiative can play a critical role in building resilience for women, communities and the forest during times of crisis. Mr. Wirsiy notes, “Since the start of the pandemic, microfinance has been used as an investment fund to purchase foodstuffs which are distributed at a fair cost to their groups’ members and other communities, thus reducing the food shortage and pressure on forests”. Ultimately, the forest, the biodiversity it contains, and the community it supports all benefit from such an arrangement.
CAMGEW’s successful microfinance initiative is an in important spark for Cameroonian women in the agroforestry sector. According to FAO, women in rural Cameroon perform about 6 to 8 hours of agricultural work a day during high growing seasons in addition to other domestic household duties. Women provide roughly 90% of the food to Cameroonian households. Yet, few women who participate in agricultural cooperatives possess decision-making roles. Furthermore, Cameroonian banks’ high interest rates and collateral requirements, make access to credit a challenge for men and women alike.
CAMGEW hopes to continue its work in an effort to promote inclusiveness, better actions and decision-making process. Mr. Wirsiy concludes:
Women need to be informed and engaged. They need to both participate and benefit from charting the future of biodiversity.
Credits:
Created with images by David_Peterson, Prolifik and Tongo from Pixabay.