11,040 individuals farmers (120 farmers per village) by increasing knowledge and awareness of agricultural policies and strategies, existing structures for citizen engagement and the benefits of engaging;
92 communities (92 selected villages) by supporting existing farmer oriented local structures (Agricultural Committees from village to District level/ DAC, SAC, CAC and VAC) to deliver strong support to farmers and ensure more effective engagement with them, and by initiating Farmers’ Advocacy Groups to catalyse dialogue between communities and local authorities for improved participation of farmers in policy making;
Note: Agriculture committees are established under Twigire Muhinzi Programme and composed by local authorities already in places (DAC: 10 authorities at district, SAC: 9 authorities in sector, CAC: 7 authorities in cell and VAC: 5 authorities in village).
30 CSOs by enhancing their capacities and skills to conduct policy analysis, budget analysis and monitoring, research and evidence-based advocacy, as well as their capacity to engage in relevant fore for dialogue and decision making at district and national level;
Local authorities by increasing their knowledge of agriculture related policies and strategies, their capacity to initiate inclusive and participatory planning processes with farmers, and their ability to carry out a critical analysis of policies and strategies with a smallholder focus.
outcome 1: Increased space, capacity & engagement of citizens in agricultural policy development, implementation and monitoring:
1. In collaboration with MINAGRI, key agri policy & strategy documents and roles & responsibilities of agri committees have been translated and simplified,
2. Training and awareness raising on agricultural policies, strategy, the role of agricultural committees and citizen engagement,
3. Training and technical accompaniment of targeted communities to conduct food security vulnerability and risk mapping and analysis,
4. Conduct research on “Valuing and integrating women farmers’ knowledge and views on agricultural practices and food systems into agricultural policy development and implementation.
outcome 2: Strengthened link between citizens and local authorities:
1. Strengthen and support agricultural committees in their roles as the main engagement mechanism between farmers and authorities,
2. Exchange visits at district level between VAC (Village Agriculture Committees) and FAG (Farmers Advocacy Groups),
3. Organize annual policy dialogues & advocacy activities between citizens & authorities on agriculture.
outcome 3: Strong and capacitated CSOs:
1. Training on financial management, governance & organizational development,
2. Training on policy analysis, budget analysis & monitoring, research techniques & evidence based advocacy,
3. Exchange visits at district level,
4. Share key challenges, lessons learned & best practices from project with participants & external stakeholders at all levels.
outcome 4: Increased space & capacity of local governments to involve citizens in agri policy development, implementation and monitoring:
1. Training for local authorities on the content of agriculture policy and roles & responsibilities in policy implementation,
2. Training of local authorities on participatory planning and implementation.
