Presentation of gender baseline study to Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung and the Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership program

From March 5th to 7th, TransSustain team member Janina Grabs was invited before the Steering Committee of the Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership in Guatemala City to present a baseline study on the empowerment of women in key project zones which the TransSustain research team implemented on behalf of the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung.

The Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership is a multidimensional capacity-building program that includes gender sensitization, youth empowerment, and a strong focus on best agricultural practices that allow for yield improvements and climate adaptation. It is funded by Tim Hortons and TFO Canada and implemented in the Trifinio region by the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung.

Applying the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index in the project area quantifies the great need for gender inclusivity as a focus of rural development projects. Its overall score places the Honduran part of the Trifinio region in the lower middle range of women’s empowerment internationally. The areas where women are least empowered are control over income and access to productive resources, specifically land and credit. These are major impediments to family-oriented income allocation as well as long-term farm survival, as women are increasingly responsible for farms due to male out-migration and deaths.

Field visits allowed the members of the Steering Committee to witness the power of female empowerment first-hand. Traditionally, they are known to be more nimble-fingered pickers, but yet find few economic opportunities outside of the harvest season. In women-only training groups, female farmers acquire skills, self-confidence, and the reputation of being more careful and reliable when applying newly learned practices. They also learn about income diversification, for instance regarding handicrafts. The Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership’s focus on gender sensitization workshops and couples’ counseling sessions will further widen the space for the inclusion of women in production and spending decisions.

TRANS SUSTAIN will continue to accompany the gender sensitization project and track progress made over the coming years using the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index