Women’s Empowerment through Agroecology

I am happy to introduce myself. My name is Richard Mhina, the Country Director for Floresta Tanzania, and I am from the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. My team works at the nexus of poverty alleviation and environmental restoration, revolutionizing the lives of rural farmers, especially women, in the Kilimanjaro region, and we are ready to grow.

Since 2011, I have served as the Country Director for Floresta Tanzania (established in 2004) and, under my leadership, the program has empowered nearly 12,000 farming families to transform their land and their lives. Prior to my role as Director, I was the project manager for Floresta, and before that I worked with other NGOs as a loan officer. I have an MA in Business Administration and a BS in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. In my current role, I set priorities, oversee implementation of programs, and manage relations with stakeholders.

In rural areas of Tanzania where subsistence farming is the way of life, female farmers are left behind--they are consistently marginalized and denied access to ownership of property and decision making, with follow-on implications for family health, nutrition, and financial stability. Women are disempowered as decision makers for their families, though they are often responsible for the success of the family via farming, feeding the family, and caring for the sick and elderly. 

Floresta Tanzania, as part of the global Plant With Purpose collective, harnesses the ingenuity and talent of female farmers, using cutting-edge agroecology training and mentorship to unleash their potential to sustain their families. Our work elevates marginalized women to become change agents for their families and communities, resulting in increased biodiversity, consistent food security, improved livelihoods, and hope for the future.

In rural areas of Tanzania, female subsistence farmers are traditionally left behind--they are consistently marginalized and denied access to ownership of property and decision making, with knock-on implications for family nutrition and health (about 38 percent of children are stunted in growth), education, and financial stability. In rural areas, 98 percent of women work in agriculture, most tending small plots. A 2019 World Bank study helps quantify the gender gap stating,“In poor households, 32 percent of women have no education compared to 19 percent of men.” A 2019 UN Women report indicates a 16 percent gap between men and women in agricultural productivity due to less access to inputs, lower returns, less secure land rights, and distortions in markets. In a traditionally male-dominated culture, women are disempowered as decision makers for their families, though they are often responsible for the success of the family via farming, feeding the family, and caring for the sick and elderly. 

In addition to an expansive gender gap, severe environmental degradation disempowers female farmers as deforestation, flooding, erosion, drought, and soil depletion destroy the land. A vicious cycle ensues as desperate farmers continue to cut trees for fuel and timber, further decimating the land.

Floresta Tanzania dramatically improves food security and economic stability of farming women by working directly with the community to facilitate change. Community members own the process of change, and Floresta empowers women to use their skills, talents, and resources to bring about that change. We have developed an integrated, three-part approach that synthesizes environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal to address personal and social challenges faced by the community, especially women. 

The empowerment process begins with training, which includes agroecology, leadership development, small business management, and financial literacy. The platforms for delivering this training include integrated, community-led Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) (which operate without the use of outside capital), informal Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) that provide hands-on experience, and local church partnerships. By facilitating community-led platforms, we have increased levels of engagement, early adoption of techniques, and the ability to scale quickly using established networks. Throughout the empowerment process, farming families are mentored and encouraged by our highly-skilled technicians and agronomists, as farmers implement the strategies they learn on their land, in their communities, and in their personal relationships.

Floresta Tanzania currently elevates over 10,200 partnering farmers (69 percent are women) in the Kilimanjaro region, impacting over 50,000 individuals from indigenous groups (this does not include those who have graduated from our programs). The landscape is mountainous, severely eroded, and demanding. To understand needs, we use several techniques and maintain an attitude that each participant is a true partner, not a project. 

One technique includes Farmer Field Schools where farmers and school children try new agroecology techniques to see what works on their land. Another method is via VSLAs, often led by women, where partners are trained and mentored by experienced Floresta staff to discuss local challenges, to solve problems from the inside out, and to reach out to their neighbors. Savings and social fund decisions are made by the group, and leadership of the groups rotates to ensure accountability. 

Globally, these methods yield a two-thirds reduction in poverty as seen in the most recent impact evaluation. This impact evaluation also showed the following for Tanzania specifically:

• Daughters of participating families are 63 percent more likely to attend high school.

• Plant With Purpose participants’ farms are 27 percent more diverse.

• Partnering families benefit from 38 percent higher crop yields.

Female farmers in Tanzania have less access to agriculture training, resources, and opportunities than their male counterparts. By harnessing the power of agroecology to transform the lives of these women, Floresta Tanzania is elevating opportunities for a group of individuals who are traditionally left behind, thus aligning with a key dimension of the Elevate Prize. Because Floresta works at a whole watershed level, not only are women empowered, but entire watersheds of rural families are impacted as the benefits of training and leadership development reach a “tipping point” and spread throughout watersheds.

Working with the rural community for the past 15 years, I have come to realize, along with Floresta Tanzania staff, that empowering women is key for long-term relief from multidimensional poverty. Women hold the keys to family health and care of the environment, yet they are consistently denied access to decision making and ownership of property. 

In 2010, after many years of work in the field, Floresta Tanzania staff and I decided to initiate a project for women’s rights protection and empowerment through agroecology training. The project was developed through a participatory method where all age groups in the community were involved. We discussed the agenda of women’s inclusion in decision making. The outcome of this participatory method was an increased number of women in positions of leadership, which increased their dignity through restoration.

My passion is to uplift communities, to increase their standard of living, to see people transform their lives. I believe that people are powerful and have limitless potential to achieve, even beyond what they think they can do. I am motivated to see the empowerment of women using their skills, talents, and resources they have to bring about change in whole societies. I have always desired to work for projects that are community-based, where we work directly in the community. It is especially motivating to work in the region in which I grew up. Seeing the lives of individual people changed, as well as entire watersheds transformed, keeps me energized for the work. We are constantly innovating, listening, and growing.

Floresta Tanzania has a proven track record for addressing the vicious cycle of environmental degradation and poverty and for elevating women to transform their  communities. We have partnered with more than 100 entire farming communities who have planted more than 12 million trees. Thousands of women have gained the agency they need to thrive and transform their communities through leadership training, agroecology training, and savings groups. 

On a more personal level, I have a gift for seeing the potential in others and take responsibility for the health and growth of my staff as they then empower others. I have strong success in making major corporate decisions, managing operations, executing long and short-term strategy, and modeling a humble type of leadership (what some people call “servant-leadership”). My staff are dynamic, highly talented, and often educated in their respective fields.

Floresta Tanzania is part of the larger global organization, Plant With Purpose. Through this partnership, Floresta Tanzania and Plant With Purpose share global expertise, strategic planning, vision-casting, and financial support. Worldwide, Plant With Purpose partners work in 30 watersheds, have planted over 36 million trees, and, according to the most recent impact evaluation study, have seen that participating families cut their poverty by nearly two-thirds. In Tanzania, we have seen that families help their neighbor 41 percent more often, believe they have a greater ability to improve their lives, and are 50 percent more likely to save cash. There is high demand for our programs, and we can’t wait to continue growing.

At one point, I sought to improve staff output and motivation at the workplace. This was challenging because I had never done something like this before. My first step was to organize a brainstorm session with the management team discussing our challenges and potential solutions. From there, I took the lead and looked at previously successful literature, analyzed all feedback from staff, and incorporated the team’s ideas into a staff motivation strategy. The team was ultimately thrilled with the fresh plan, and especially excited that their new ideas were included. This motivation strategy was implemented and resulted in increased overall organizational performance and staff retention.

In 2011, the leadership of Floresta Tanzania transitioned to me, and since then, I have overseen a period of substantial program growth. Through my leadership I was able to grow Tanzania programs from 1,600 families to about 12,000 families in nine years while reducing cost per family by more than 500 percent.  All impact indicators either improved or remained stable during this time. 

I also, along with my staff, dreamed up and implemented a yearly competition among our VSLAs. The groups are judged on indicators such as leadership, savings, outreach, and growth. The annual celebration attracts over 10,000 people each year and brings fresh energy to the program. We celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and groups, and we also celebrate the graduation of VSLA groups that have grown strong enough to thrive without the direct support of Floresta Tanzania.

Our local team in Tanzania, independently registered as the nonprofit Floresta Tanzania, focuses on project implementation and was established in 2004. Plant With Purpose, our partner organization headquartered in the U.S., focuses on awareness, fundraising, and technical training for Tanzania and seven other countries. A legal contract outlines expectations between Floresta Tanzania and Plant With Purpose. We have found the global connections to be encouraging and energizing in our work to elevate those in multidimensional poverty.

Three aspects of our work are innovative and have positioned us well for growth.

First, we use a participatory, integrated approach that addresses root causes of multidimensional poverty. Our approach synthesizes economic empowerment through community-led savings groups (VSLAs), environmental restoration through community-led tree planting and farming campaigns, and spiritual renewal through indigenous church partnerships. By integrating these aspects, the whole person is elevated to reach their full potential and affect change.

Secondly, our work uses local networks which uniquely allows us to scale up programs quickly. Because we use local networks including churches and schools, our work is more quickly adopted by members of the community. Our participants are more likely to share what they learn with neighbors. Local buy-in ensures lasting change.

Finally, we target our work in strategic watersheds, or areas with hydrological boundaries. Our goal is to “saturate” each watershed by working with enough members of the community to reach a “tipping point” where the effects of our work “spill over” from direct participants to the entire watershed. This means that we don’t have to work with every single person in a watershed because our direct participants are themselves spreading the word to their neighbors and creating self-perpetuating, whole-community-level change. Our most recent impact evaluation study demonstrated this effect. Further, from an environmental perspective, by focusing our work at the watershed level, we can impact change for entire ecosystems as farming families pursue healing of their land and their surrounding environment.

Floresta Tanzania, as part of the Plant With Purpose global family, has a strong theory of change and has seen incredible, measurable transformation through its work in Tanzania. In short, our theory of change results in restored relationships, watersheds that are healthy and flourishing, and communities that are economically empowered to pursue their priorities. Here you’ll find the Plant With Purpose theory of change that we use as well as results from the most recent global impact evaluation study. 

Floresta Tanzania currently works in five watersheds with 10,236 partners (participants) impacting over 50,000 children, women, and men. In fiscal year (FY) 2021, we plan to launch 50 additional Village Savings and Loan Associations, adding approximately 1,250 direct partners, impacting approximately 6,125 additional community members. We anticipate that approximately 69 percent of direct partners will be women, many of whom will hold leadership positions.

With the help of the Elevate Prize community and others like you, we hope to launch work in two additional watersheds over the next five years, impacting approximately 45,000 women, children, and men.

With the help of the Elevate Prize community, we hope to launch work in two additional watersheds over the next five years, impacting approximately 45,000 women, children, and men.

In the next fiscal year (FY2021), we plan to accomplish the following: 

• Empower 457 community-led VSLAs, especially women, in the areas of leadership, good governance, loan management, and business management skills

• Provide agroecology training for a cumulative attendance of 6,485 

• Mobilize community members to plant over 1.4 million trees

• Partner with 225 schools and 262 local churches, leveraging these networks to teach environmental restoration, spiritual development, and social responsibility

We are poised for growth and have performed analysis to determine the most strategic next steps for expanding Floresta Tanzania into two neighboring watersheds. Infusion of capital is needed to launch in these two new watersheds and is the primary barrier for doing so. Resources are needed to ensure regular programming in the current five watersheds where we work. Additional capital infusion beyond our current budget would cover startup costs such as difference in differences (DID) studies, hiring, and capital expenses (e.g. vehicle). It would also cover regular programming expenses such as staff (technicians and agronomists), training, and materials for planting.

Another challenge has been COVID-19 and the subsequent economic fallout. We know that this pandemic will not be over soon and continues to be a major challenge to the health and wellbeing of our partnering farmers. As of early July 2020, children were returning to school and, in general, restrictions on movement were being lifted. The re-opening of the economy does increase risk of disease transmission to rural populations who have extremely limited, if any, access to testing and healthcare. Our model of savings and economic empowerment has helped thousands of families weather the storm so far, and will continue to empower families to gain resilience in the face of the virus.

We have a strong strategy for pursuing capital infusion and are excited to pursue new partnerships such as with the Elevate Prize community. Our main partner organization, Plant With Purpose, which does the majority of our fundraising, launched a new five-year strategic plan on July 1, 2020. Part of this strategic plan includes building out fundraising capacity and education around Tanzanian-led fundraising. Plant With Purpose has a strong portfolio with diverse funders including foundations, individuals, corporations, and Christian churches. (Note: Our programs do not require religious affiliation in order to participate.)

Part of what makes our development model sustainable is that partnering farmers create their own economic growth by using a savings model that does not use outside capital. Individuals earn their own money and then invest it their savings group. Each group is encouraged to expand and to start new groups, thereby multiplying impact organically. 

In response to COVID-19, we proactively implemented policies to protect staff and partnering farmers. We are actively communicating critical health information to participants and raising awareness on the dynamics of transmission. Food security is a top concern, and we continue to educate new participants (especially in backyard agriculture), increasing their resilience to this crisis. Finally, we are actively pursuing, in partnership with Plant With Purpose, a Readiness and Resilience fund to ensure access to rapid response resources.

Floresta Tanzania values collaboration and partnership. We ensure that community members, local schools, local churches, local authorities, and other organizations are included in discussions and have a voice in decision making. In addition, we partner with other Plant With Purpose global staff to collaborate on things we learn and to implement shared best practices. Other partners include CARE Tanzania, Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM), and Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT).

Floresta Tanzania interacts with partners (participants) primarily using a holistic, sustainable Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) model. VSLAs are member-led and use group savings without the use of outside capital. We provide a framework and mentorship for the group. Our ultimate goal is for each group to “graduate” and to be able to thrive on its own, even to the point of being able to start new groups without the direct support of Floresta Tanzania.

Floresta Tanzania is part of the global Plant With Purpose family, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that receives sustained funding from a variety of sources including individuals, foundations, churches, and corporations. Funds are used for direct programing (technicians and agronomists for training and mentorship, capital expenses, and materials), monitoring and evaluation, awareness building, and additional fundraising.  

Through partnership with Floresta Tanzania, individual families work toward personal resiliency and financial stability. Plant With Purpose global impact evaluations show a two-thirds reduction in poverty for participants and, specifically in Tanzania, we have seen that participants are 50 percent more likely to be saving cash and have 2.7 times the amount of savings as non-participants. Thus, our model is sustainable over the long term.

Floresta Tanzania, as part of the global Plant With Purpose family, seeks grant funding for ongoing programming in five watersheds, as well as capital infusion for scaling up work into two additional watersheds to reach rural, subsistence farmers and to especially impact the lives of female farmers.

We at Floresta Tanzania are excited about the Elevate Prize for several reasons. One reason includes the strong alignment of values in elevating humanity through inspiration and empowerment of local voices. Our methods break generational poverty and especially elevate women to not only lead their families well, but to lead in their communities.

We are an organization that enjoys partnering with others, and we look forward to exploring partnerships (financial and programmatic) with the Elevate community as we provide cutting edge training in the rural, agricultural context for Tanzania’s most impoverished peoples. We appreciate the opportunity to amplify our voice and to expand and multiply our work to reach more women (even globally) with life-saving education, mentorship, and tools for equity and agency.

As the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change alter the landscape for our rural communities, we must face our responsibility to share what we know and have learned through many, many years of listening, trial and error, and growth. We are thankful for the Elevate Prize opportunity and look forward with great anticipation to empowering more women to thrive as they reverse multidimensional poverty in their families and communities.