2011年-世界发展银行全球_Sustainable_Support_System_for_Rural_Women_Entrepreneurs___Ethiopia_54页_1mb

Summary of the Sustainable Support System for Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

Core Content

This report outlines a strategic plan to support rural women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia through a sustainable support system. It emphasizes the importance of nonfarm sector development in reducing poverty and generating employment in rural areas, particularly for women who often lack access to agricultural land and resources. The report is based on a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, data from the Ethiopia Rural Investment Climate Survey (RICS), and field visits to various regions in Ethiopia.

The system is structured around five main components:

1. Women's Economic Empowerment
2. Market Development
3. Access to Markets
4. Management Support Services
5. Access to Credit

Each component is accompanied by key findings and recommendations aimed at addressing the specific challenges faced by rural women entrepreneurs.

Main Components and Recommendations

1. Women's Economic Empowerment

• Key Findings:

  • Rural women have limited awareness of their rights.
  • They face barriers to participation in nonfarm economic activities.
  • There are differences in business constraints between women and men.
  • Nonfarm activities for women are generally less profitable.

• Recommendations:

  • Promote awareness of women's rights among both men and women.
  • Encourage women's participation in nonfarm economic activities.
  • Identify and address constraints to improve the business environment for women.
  • Enhance the profitability of nonfarm activities through productivity improvements or differentiated products.

2. Market Development

• Key Findings:

  • Rural marketplaces lack necessary infrastructure.
  • There is limited demand for specific products or services.

• Recommendations:

  • Develop rural marketplaces with appropriate amenities.
  • Identify new markets for specific products or services.

3. Access to Markets

• Key Findings:

  • Poor access to roads and high transportation costs.
  • Limited availability of market information.

• Recommendations:

  • Build feeder or access roads to connect to main roads.
  • Develop an affordable public transportation system.
  • Establish a mechanism to provide market and price information for selected products and services.

4. Management Support Services

• Key Findings:

  • No or limited business management support services in rural areas.
  • Lack of specific expertise in management support.
  • Limited capacity of existing micro and small enterprise development agencies.

• Recommendations:

  • Expand business management support services to rural areas.
  • Identify business opportunities and determine essential management requirements.
  • Build the capacity of AMSTIEPDA or potential NGOs, in coordination with FeMSEDA, to support rural nonfarm activities.

5. Access to Credit

• Key Findings:

  • Limited availability of credit institutions.
  • Many rural entrepreneurs want loans but do not apply.
  • Credit guarantee schemes have limited coverage.

• Recommendations:

  • Establish and strengthen RUSACCOs, ACSI, and other microfinance institutions.
  • Create funds for loans or grants for informal groups of women entrepreneurs.
  • Expand credit guarantee schemes in rural areas.

Implementation Framework

The implementation of the sustainable support system is designed to be community-driven and involves the following elements:

• Participatory Consultation: Engaging local women's groups and other stakeholders.
• Community-Driven Development (CDD): A pilot approach to enable rural poor to improve their livelihoods through income-generating activities.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Including poor women's groups, woreda and kebele committees, line ministry officials, NGOs, CSOs, and development partners like FeMSEDA and CPA.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Periodic review and feedback to ensure effectiveness and improvement.

The system will be implemented through the Households Assets Building Program (HABP) and the Agricultural Growth Project (AGP), with the aim of testing and refining the approach.

Application to HABP and AGP

• HABP: The support system will reinforce income diversification and asset building, aligning with the project's goals. It will focus on vulnerable populations, including food-insecure households.
• AGP: The system can be integrated with AGP's existing components, particularly those related to value addition, marketing, and small-scale market development. This integration will create a synergy effect, enhancing the overall impact of both projects.

Key Findings and Statistics

• Women's Participation in Nonfarm Activities:

  • 35% of households in Amhara are women-headed and engage in nonfarm activities.
  • 20% of all households in Amhara are engaged in nonfarm activities.
  • 47% of women are involved only in nonfarm activities, compared to 29% of men.
  • 6.4% of the working population is engaged in nonfarm activities, while 91% rely on agriculture.

• Reasons for Starting Nonfarm Enterprises:

  • Limited access to agricultural land (25.6% of women).
  • Low agricultural income (16.2% of men).
  • Social independence (second and third reasons for women and men, respectively).

Conclusion

The sustainable support system for rural women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia is a comprehensive approach aimed at improving their economic conditions through targeted interventions. It emphasizes the need for awareness, infrastructure, market access, management support, and credit availability. By integrating with existing projects like HABP and AGP, the system can be tested, refined, and scaled to achieve broader impact on poverty reduction and rural development.