Ethiopia: Researching Women’s Collective Action: Phase 2

Project Team Meeting in Bamako, Mali, April 6 -9, 2011

Location of field work◦ Jimma zone in Oromia Region.◦ 350 km West of Addis Ababa.

Duration of field work◦ 26 March to 3 April 2011 (incl. 2 travel days)

Team involved◦ Lead researcher and research assistant

Study site and process of Field work

Map of study location

Jimma

zone

Jimma zone is one of 18 zones in Oromia◦ Western part of the country◦ Known for coffee production and trade◦ Predominantly a Muslim population and some Christian urban dwellers

Sub-sectors studied ◦ Coffee◦ Maize ◦ Red pepper

Districts studied and distance from Jimma town ◦ For coffee

Manna: 35 km (3rd major producer) 28800 farmers (1100 women) produce coffee 6000 TNs of coffee in the year 2011.

Gomma: 60 km (1st major producer) For maize

◦ Kerssa : 25 km (1st major producer) Maize takes 25% of cultivated land. i.e. 12,000 ha under maize Annual production, average reported to be 48,000 TNs

◦ XiroAfeta: 63 km (3rd major producer)

Study sites .....

For red pepper

◦ Omonada: 66 km (1st major producer) 10100 TNs produced in 2010/11

◦ Seka Chokorssa: 48 km (2nd major producer)

Study sites...

Key informants interview◦ Heads/deputies, district agriculture office◦ District cooperative promotion Agency◦ District Women and Children Affairs Office◦ District women Association Desk◦ Traders◦ Kebele level workers

Agriculture extension workers (development agents) Health extension workers Women association representatives

◦ Teachers ◦ NGO staff (e.g. facilitators for change)◦ others

Study sites and process.....

Kebeles selected based on◦ Discussion with key informants◦ Concentration of production of sub-sector◦ Women Collective action (based on preliminary

inventory of 2010)

◦ A kebele: Is the lowest administrative body Divided into several sub-kebeles/villages Can have up to 1000 or more households

Study sites and process.....

Selection of FGD participants◦ Support of kebele level workers (extension workers,

women association staff, NGO field workers) ◦ A group of women : 20 -22 in number

Members of known groups (CAs) Members of primary cooperatives Members of women’s association Female headed households Landless women (labourers)

Appointment made at lesat1 day a head of FGD

Meeting place: kebele centers, under tree shade or in meeting rooms

Study sites and process.....

Team traveled around 1500 km

Conducted: several group or individual key informants interview

FGDs : 1 and 2

Conducted 6 FGD◦ 3 for maize ◦ 2 for coffee◦ 1 for red pepper

Work done

1. ‘Dadoo’: Collective action in labour sharing or

exchange A traditional group, informal Exists everywhere in the Jimma zone It operates throughout the year Membership: 5 to 10 women Membership based on close relations Have no structure Conflict is mediated by elders or other

community members

Women collective actions

In Dadaoo women share labour in:◦ Land preparation, ◦ Sowing/planting, ◦ Weeding◦ Cultivation◦ Harvesting ◦ Collection of leftover/low quality coffee from trees or

ground◦ Scraping starchy food from enset (false banana)◦ And any other activities (flexible) e.g. house/ compound

maintenance

Women collective actions ...

Dadoo is scheduled as a rotation of labour for members

Women can be a member of one or two groups (time constraint)

Food and drink is served by women who receives labour

The system of dadaoo recently began to involve exchange of labour for cash◦ E.g. Landless women can be members

They work and either sell the labour they accumulated or Enter a work contract of agricultural activity or any other

work in for payment. It is becoming means of income generation for poor women.

wage rate is 4 birr (half day), or 7 birr (full day).

Women collective actions ....

Constraints

Daadoo◦ Not given attention as a mechanism of labour

agricultural provider. ◦ No technical support for improvement◦ Due to time shortage women cannot involve not

more than one or two groups

Benefits Dadoo

◦ Sharing critical labour input for farming◦ Source of income for poor women

2. Women Self Help Group

Also most common in the studied districts Women only groups Membership up to 20 women Being promoted during the last 3 to 4 years On voluntary basis Some are legally registered with the district

cooperative promotion agency Mostly promoted by NGOs (facilitators for change,

Plan Ethiopia, etc) Their motives:

◦ multi-dimensional◦ Introduce practice of saving (in small amounts)

Women collective actions .....

◦ Introduce borrowing from the group and borrowing from micro-finance organizations

◦ Use the browned money for (individually) pity trade, livestock rearing, purchase of inputs like fertilizer Production of construction materials from local

materials, and other income diversification

SHG gradually develop into saving and credit group

Women collective actions .....

Women SHG also involve in literacy and awareness raising of women◦ They meet every week or two weeks

Groups have structures (mostly 5 elected committee members)◦ Chair lady◦ Secretary◦ Treasure

Groups have internal rules (own developed or supported)

Women SHG also save some extra money for social purposes:◦ Give money for sick, elderly, and women who give

birth

Women collective actions .....

Constraints SHG

◦ Low capacity and know how◦ No access to capital/creidt if not legalized ◦ Fear of credit risk

Benefits

SHG/SCA◦ Women gathering, information sharing ◦ meeting group discussions,◦ Way of empowerment◦ Culture of saving and borrowing ◦ A means of access to resources/ financing for

income diversification ◦ Business trainings, consultation

3. Primary farmers cooperatives Exist in coffee growing districts Established in 1970s and 1980s Male dominated

◦ Women from female-headed households are members

◦ Few women reported they have to pass through a legal process of inheritance (of parents) to be member, and this costs some money.

◦ Women are not part of governing body (only in 1 cases a women is a member of committee and observe activities of coffee purchase).

Women collective actions .....

In Manna district (coffee), the primary cooperatives helped in creating and maintaining market competition for coffee◦ Women acknowledged their presence helped to get

better price (private traders would have lowered price)

◦ Primary cooperatives invested in social service infrastructure Water, electricity, schools, etc. (electricity not yet

accessed by rural dwellers, complaint) Member farmers sell coffee either to the

primary coops or to private traders (out of 1200 members, only 45% sell to the coop).

Women collective actions .....

In studied kebele in Mana the major problems of a primary coffee cooperative are: ◦ a huge debt (2 million birr) accumulated over many

years◦ The lose of capital and resources due to false checks

involved in coffee purchase (some 10 years back); no solution yet.

◦ Embezzlement and corruption by cooperative leaders◦ Women do not play role in its administration

Coffee primary cooperatives are members of higher networks i.e. Jimma and Oromia coffee unions

Unions support primary cooperative in accessing loans and some technical support.

Women collective actions .....

constraints Primary coops (coffee)

◦ Low recognition for women members (e.g. Women not elected to management committee)

◦ Debts from the past◦ Lose of capital to false check and its effect ◦ Corruption and mismanagement◦ Dividend not properly divided

Women are constrained by quality control issues and lack of capital to begin coffee trade.

Benefits Primary coops (coffee)

◦ Local market access ◦ Created competition and better price ◦ Investment in infrastructure and services ◦ In the past access to consumer goods

Comparisons

Comparisons ....

4. WCAs in maize and pepper In the studied districts selected for maize and red

pepper, women CAs in product marketing are literally non-existent:◦ Pepper is a newly introduced sub-product (about 8 years) ◦ Highly productive and profitable◦ aggressively expanding production (23 of the 39 kebeles in

Omonada district producing it)◦ A well established market chain (up to 250 TNs on main

market day and 30 TNs other days supplied to market system)

◦ No women collective action identified◦ Product sold by men (main) or women (low quality and small

size) individually◦ Some women reported they borrow money from micro-finance

to buy fertilizer for pepper production. (Pepper is a heavy fertilizer user).

Women collective actions .....

In maize growing districts◦ Primary cooperatives exist (sometimes for group of

kebeles), avail fertilizer and seed;◦ In the past they started to buy maize from

members (but do not do any more)◦ These cooperatives have serious management

problems and corruption, can not sustain.

Women collective actions .....

A WCA case in Kerssa kebele In kerssa district study kebele (called Baboo),

there is a small group of women acting collectively:◦5 members (all relatives in neighbourhood)◦Started to operate 3 years back (motivated

by high maize price and seeing traders coming from elsewhere to buy)

◦Pooled small money together and stared maize purchase and sell in local market.

◦Use animals or human to transport

Women collective actions .....

The maximum volume they handled so far at a time is 4 quintals of maize

The group has a financial constraint, handles smaller volume.

The group has no structure The group has some internal rule: a young

women and an old should not carry heavy load.

Women collective actions .....

Market chain: pepper

Producers/ Local famers

Local traders at District town

Traders from Addis Ababa coming to

Sarbo Market

Supplying to Addis Market

Southern Ethiopia Markets

300 traders (200 permanent, 50

have own warehouses; 30 have weighing

tools)

Women sell low grade and small amount

Up to 250 tonns purchased on

main market day;10 bigger traders

from supply to other areas

Agents of Local Coffee Traders Coffee Collection Centers in Rural Villages(183 for wet with pulps and 7 for dry one)

Agents of coffee trades,

local purchase ,

Women collect low quality, some coffee from garden

Farmers’ coop purchase from

members(study kebele 1 coop has 1200 members 80

are women)

Manna district plans to

supply 6000 tonns this

year

Coffee marketing, Manna district

Women in markets: part of daily life

Key info: women affairs office

Pepper matrketing

Pepper: low grade

Pepper key info: trader

Pepper” transporting

Pepper: loading

Maize field

Maize seed production (women involve )

Maize: old weighing instument

Coffee is a symbol of Jimma zone

Private sector coffee washing stations

FGDs

SHG/ WCA: other income generation activities

FGDs

Women participation

FGD: women participation

Secondary data: eg. Primary coops

Women members

4.5%

Admin and logistic problems◦ Lead to a significant delay (went to field a week before

this meeting) One has to pass through bureaucratic chanins to

access people and that needs time ◦ Went to field on Saturday, started FGD on Monday 28th

March) In the zone and some study districts there was a

local religious conflict three weeks earlier (between Muslim and Christian) ◦ Was difficult to go into community and talk to people

(but cautiously done after consultations)◦ In some communities people were busy with

reconstructing churches burnt down during the conflict.

Challenegs faced