REFLECTIONS FROM THE USE OF THE BUILDING RESILIENCE TOOL-I

Since 2020, the Building Resilience Part I (BR-I) tool has helped farmer organisations (FOs) and agri-agencies to plan practical climate adaptation interventions. At the moment, more than 300 facilitators have been trained, with more than 1,700 farmers participating in workshops. In June 2023 and again in October 2024, capitalisation workshops gathered practitioners to share experience, refine the tool, and grow a community of practitioners committed to continuous learning for climate action.

Through this collaborative environment, participants discussed the importance of customising and contextualising the BR-I tool for diverse agricultural settings. The testing and roll-out of the tool was supported by the AFD-SEPOP program, IFAD/EU, BMZ, as well as the Forest and Farm Facility (FAO-FFF). This blog synthesises the insights – what has worked, where we need to improve, and what the data from 64 training and farmer-workshop reports tells us about prioritised hazards and feasible solutions.

Results from the capitalisation

Across 2023–2024, three messages repeat:

• Make it simple, visual, and local: develop glossaries in local languages, use intuitive and locally relevant examples, and group farmers by crop or ecological zone, if possible, to increase farmers’ ownership.

• Need for continued learning: maintain in-person workshops and complement them with active learning cycles and peer support, such as the periodic capitalisation events.

• Simplify reporting: making it more relevant for FOs and agri-agencies, easy to connect to existing data collection routines or capacity building plans.

Feedback indicates that farmers appreciated the structured discussions and felt empowered to identify their climate priorities and a sense of ownership for the process. The tool's flexibility allowed for local adaptations and encouraged participation from women and youth. The structured approach helped them identify climate finance priorities and understand fundamental climate change concepts. The knowledge blending approach – bringing together farmer experience and science - builds relevance and trust.

Among challenges, time management was a recurring issue, with varying levels of understanding among participants sometimes hindering discussions and agreement. Identified interventions sometimes remained vague or beyond farmer capacities and the facilitators’ skills become vital to develop feasible plans. Additionally, the reporting process was noted as cumbersome for farmer organisations.

For long-term success, participants in the capitalisation process indicated that it is crucial to involve local government representatives in workshops to foster ownership among farmers and ensure that adaptation plans align with broader public priorities and regional environmental strategies. Facilitators should also consider FO’s maturity while analysing the feasibility of resilience plans; emphasising low-cost, low-effort, easily implementable interventions can promote ownership and build momentum.

With the combined effort of FFD, AFDI and TRIAS, an updated version of the Building Resilience Tool -I (BR-I), was made available in June 2025, incorporating the feedback and recommendations provided during the capitalisation process. The new version is available in English, French, Spanish, and Swahili.

Examples of Agri-agencies’ field experiences and approaches

FERT and FIFATA adapted the BR-I tool for local farmers in Madagascar by developing a shorter, more visual version. They emphasised participatory exercises such as seasonal calendars and landscape mapping (watershed thinking); these modifications allowed farmers to engage in discussions about local hazards and potential solutions. A particular focus was placed on engaging youth, who provided unique insights into local agricultural practices. However, questions arose regarding the representativeness of individual experiences and the necessity of collective planning by farmer organisations.

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In the Philippines, TRIAS integrated the BR-I tool with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) framework; given the increasing frequency of typhoons, this integration proved crucial. Participatory land mapping was employed to identify vulnerabilities, facilitating discussions that enhanced farmers' understanding of adaptive actions.

In Togo, Afdi and Ctop conducted BR-I workshops across five agro-ecological regions, engaging regional stakeholders in creating actionable plans that were subsequently refined at the national level. This approach facilitated that regional differences are respected while drafting a cohesive national strategy. Other NGOs and partners were engaged to mobilise implementation funding.

In Tanzania, FFD, NADO and TTGAU used BR-I to identify farmers-led research priorities to promote agroecology and increase the resilience of smallholder farmers and tree growers. Several experimental sites were established to tailor the use of biochar on different crop combinations, compare honey production for different beehives, and evaluate the impact of bylaws and awareness on the frequency and intensity of local fires.

A look into the 64 BR-I reports available already

“The consolidated data from 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, identifying the main climatic hazards by farmers, suggest a common thread: IT IS MOSTLY ABOUT WATER!”

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More than 60% of the climate-associated hazards identified are directly related to either too much rain, too little rain or changes in rain patterns. Rain-related hazards increase up to 80% if we consider the indirect correlation with storms and landslides.

Across hazards, vulnerable groups face recurring constraints: limited land, cash for inputs and infrastructure, time for labour-intensive practices, and administrative access to insurance or state programs. Designing stepwise, affordable pathways – and ensuring facilitation reaches women and youth- is essential. Below are some examples of the intervention suggested for specific climate-associated hazards:

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The BR-I tool represents a significant step forward in building resilience among agricultural communities facing climate challenges. Continued efforts to share knowledge, adapt the tool to local contexts, and engage government stakeholders will be essential for its ongoing success. Future workshops and feedback mechanisms will help refine the tool and support broader climate adaptation efforts.

Strengthening Smallholder Opportunities in Tanzania: from SEMA to SENSOR

Food and Forest Development Finland (FFD) is advancing its commitment to sustainable agriculture in Tanzania through the SENSOR project, building upon the successes of the previous SEMA initiative.

Building on SEMA's Success

The SEMA project (2021-2024) laid a strong foundation by enhancing Tanzanian farmers' skills in sustainable practices and market access. Through targeted training and capacity-building efforts, farmers gained valuable knowledge in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, food safety, and contract farming. This empowerment led to improved productivity and better integration into both domestic and international markets.

Introducing SENSOR: A Step Forward

Building on SEMA's achievements, the SENSOR project aims to further enhance smallholder livelihoods by promoting environmentally and socially responsible value chains. Implemented in collaboration with the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and supported by FFD, SENSOR focuses on:

• Capacity Building: Training 8,500 farmers, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities, on sustainability standards, climate-smart agriculture, and entrepreneurship.

• Market Access: Facilitating access to both domestic and international markets through contract farming and direct linkages with buyers.

• Inclusive Practices: Ensuring the active participation of marginalized groups in horticulture value chains.

• Environmental Sustainability: Promoting practices that address climate change and food safety concerns.

Looking Ahead

The SENSOR project, with a budget of €406,120 and a duration from January 2025 to December 2028, is set to make a significant impact in the regions of Kilimanjaro, Njombe, and Mbeya. By leveraging the lessons learned from SEMA, SENSOR aims to create a more resilient and inclusive horticultural sector in Tanzania, ensuring sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers.

For a closer look at the impact of the SEMA project, watch the following video: SEMA Project Boosts Tanzanian Farmers' Skills for Better Market Access and Economic Growth

From seedlings to sawdust - how farmers in Southern Tanzania built a thriving timber yard business

Laurent Mfugale of UWAMIMA tells about the challenges they have faced, such as transport permit from the government, lack of weighing scales and government regulation on timber drying fee. Today, several of these challenges are overcome, and the timber marketing center is progressing. Photo: Jenny Öhman / FFD.

How it all started

Local youth at work loading the timber trucks. Photo: Tuuli-Maria Mäki / FFD.

Umoja wa Wapanda Miti Matembwe (UWAMIMA) is a tree growers’ association based in Matembwe village, Njombe district, in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Established in 2009, UWAMIMA was among the first partners of FFD. Initially, the group comprised 45 farmers (18 women and 27 men) who, with FFD’s support, began purchasing high-value tree seeds and cultivating timber and utility poles trees. Today, the members of UWAMIMA grow timber and utility poles trees, fruit trees (avocado), undertake beekeeping activities, produce various vegetables, and rear chickens. The group also maintains tree nurseries and manages a revolving fund.

In 2018, as timber production increased within the group and the surrounding community, UWAMIMA and FFD decided to establish a market center where the group members could dry their timber centrally.

The village government allocated a 15-acre plot of land for the timber yard, district council support paving and grading of 0.7 km entry road, and FFD supported its initial development by installing fencing, building an office, and providing electricity. After the support from FFD concluded in March 2021, UWAMIMA established a company to manage the operations and finances of the timber yard. The local government opened an office to pay taxes and levies and UWAMIMA negotiated a possibility to carry out payments in the yard.

The UWAMIMA timber marketing center in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania was established in 2018. Photo: Jenny Öhman / FFD.

A unique farmer-led business

Pine tree seedlings in UWAMIMA’s tree nursery. Photo: Tuuli-Maria Mäki / FFD.

Tanzania Tree Growers’ Associations’ Union (TTGAU) has also been instrumental in supporting the timber yard’s business development and governance. TTGAU was founded in 2017 and has already gained a strong position in the forestry sector in the Southern Highlands area. They have helped UWAMIMA strengthen its management structure and engage in dialogue with local, regional, and national authorities. With the union’s help, UWAMIMA managed to negotiate the abolition of an extra drying fee and reduce the levies and taxes that the municipality was requesting from timber trucks, which threatened the whole timber trade. TTGAU was one of FFD's partners in the FO4ACP programme during 2023-24. While the main focus was to support different tree growers' associations to prepare for FSC certification, a small support was also given to the UWAMIMA timber yard to fix the feeder road which had been damaged by heavy rains.

Visiting UWAMIMA timber marketing center in 2023 with FFD, TTGAU and 30 stakeholders from FAO’s Forest and Farm Facility, government representatives from 6 regions, Tree Growers Associations and local NGOs. Photo: Jenny Öhman / FFD.

Being the only farmer-managed facility of its kind, UWAMIMA’s timber yard is unique and striving to serve as a model for other farmers. Members can dry their timber at the yard free of charge, while other plots are rented out for business purposes. Over the past three years, the group has successfully managed the timber yard, achieving significant progress. They operate a tree nursery, grow high-value timber trees, and empower both women and men to engage in more profitable ventures. The market center has created a steady income stream while also generating tax revenue for the local government. The timber yard has helped farmers to enhance the timber value chain, enabling them to secure fair prices for their timber. Unlike in the past, when middlemen dictated terms, members can now negotiate directly with buyers and achieve better margins. Compared to growing crops like avocado, timber cultivation has proven to be more cost-effective.

Making a long-lasting local impact

The timber yard’s impact on UWAMIMA members is profound. With easier market access and reserved plots for storing timber, farmers can choose to sell immediately or wait for better prices. The group has implemented a market information system to monitor timber prices, supply, and demand, providing members with more predictable pricing before deciding to sell or process their woodlots. Improved processes ensure no timber is processed without a prior woodlot evaluation, securing income for the farmers. This success has doubled UWAMIMA’s membership since the beginning and created valuable employment opportunities for local youth; approximately 85 young men are currently employed sorting and loading timber. This temporary employment at the timber yard is one of the few opportunities for youth to make a living in the village.

Women’s participation in the timber business has also increased significantly. Women play a pivotal role in Tanzania’s forestry sector, serving as change agents at various levels. They contribute labor as family members, own forests, and manage businesses. UWAMIMA has showcased that women can not only provide labor in the forest sector but can as well own forests and engage in different levels of the value chain. They establish and manage nurseries, woodlots and market forest products. Now the women have gained a much stronger presence in the village economy and governance.

Women’s participation in the timber business has increased significantly in the last years. Photo: Tuuli-Maria Mäki / FFD.

Business improvements are still ongoing, with plans to acquire a new sawmill and to mobilize the group members to diversify their economic streams and to plant and protect more trees. Alongside these advancements, a noticeable transformation has occurred in members’ attitudes and confidence. They are more self-assured, innovative, and equipped to drive their business forward. Secured income also allow members to focus on broader goals, such as cultivating indigenous tree species to enhance biodiversity.

FFD and TTGAU visiting the timber yard in Matembwe in October 2024. Photo: Tuuli-Maria Mäki / FFD.

“From Seedlings To Sawdust - how farmers in Southern Tanzania built a thriving timber yard business” is also available as a pdf here.

Monsoons and crocodiles - fish farming in Nepal

Fish farming has bettered livelihoods in the Nepal Terai, with more and more women taking up the activity. The Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development’s (FFD) support to three women fish farming cooperatives has reached over 300 women and their families. Over the past decade, this support has ranged from digging small garden fishponds, to establishing women groups and cooperatives, and mainstreaming their activities. In the latest phase, FFD is supporting women fish farmers in their entrepreneurship journeys and income generation.

Flooding in Nawalparasi during the monsoon season. Photo: Sundardeep Women Fish Farmers’ Cooperative.

The women have received training on how to start a business, how to make business plans, how to develop their products and how to market them. The women fish farmers involved are, however, in the very best sense of the word: multitaskers. They not only manage their households, alongside their fish farms, but are also involved in other types of agricultural work from rice farming to vegetable farming and livestock farming. However, they are working together in cooperatives, which lends them the opportunity to divide time as well as share responsibilities and resources amongst themselves.

However, fish farming in Nepal comes with other challenges. Climate change comes with risks to livelihoods, food security and nutrition. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns are a huge problem. On the one hand, extreme hot weather conditions result in water scarcity and lowering of ground water tables and negatively affect fish farming activities. On the other hand, heavy rainfall and monsoons cause flooding which damage dykes around fishponds and leads to losses of fish.  In 2020, for instance over 80% of fishponds in the entire country were affected by floods.

Damaged fishponds due to flooding in Nawalparasi during the monsoon season. Photo: Sundardeep Women Fish Farmers’ Cooperative.

In 2021, the project provided 86 women fish farmers support in the preparation of their fishponds, to help construct the dykes to better withstand flooding. Furthermore, women fish farmers were also provided information on how stresses from flood and drought impact fish health in carps and how to mitigate these stresses, through regulation of oxygen levels and proper water management techniques. Among, the project beneficiaries, Mishrit Fish Farming Cooperative in Nawalparasi has been the most affected by floods. The Narayani River that flows through the region is prone to flooding during the monsoon season. The flooding also subsequently leads to landslides. A nearby dam in Sitapur also causes frequent flooding. Existing flood based early warning systems are not very reliable and not all areas in Nepal are covered. For this reason, an early warning system is being installed to serve the fish farmers and community in the Nandapur area in Nawalparasi. This will be implemented through a public-private-partnership including FFD, the Mishrit Fish Farming Cooperative and the Madhyabindu Municipality. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology of Nepal will also support the venture, by providing accurate and current data of water levels. 

Other challenges, however, remain. Animals like crocodiles may also venture out further from their normal habitat range during the rains. The Mishrit Fish Farming Cooperative, for example, was caught off-guard when a crocodile ventured into the village causing fear and mayhem. The villagers came together to capture the beast and release it into the river far away from the village. However, crocodiles are known to venture into the nearby fishponds and are a cause of fear for the women fish farmers.

Other wild animals are also a concern for women fish farmers. Wild boar and rhino sometimes come to feed on vegetables on the dykes or in vegetable pads near the fishponds. In Chitwan, this challenge is being solved by creating buffer zones between the Chitwan National Park and residential areas. However, not every region in the Nepal Terai is next to a national park.

Chinta Mani Thanet, Mishrit Fish Farmers’ Cooperative holding off a rampant crocodile. Photo: Sundardeep Women Fish Farmers’ Cooperative.

To combat the challenges to fish farming caused by climate change and other natural phenomena, the project has organised several trainings and workshops on assessing climate risks and building resilience with the beneficiary cooperatives. Furthermore, consultations with a diverse group of stakeholders including fisheries and aquaculture experts, policy makers, academics and field practitioners have been held to gather their insights on climate risk mitigation and building resilience.

This has culminated in the development of ‘Guidelines for Climate Smart Fish Farming in Nepal’. The guidelines are targeted to fish farmers, fish feed producers, processors, traders, transporters, policy makers, fish farming experts and anyone working in the sector. The guidelines focus mainly on carp culture and offers an overview of the current practices and policies on fish farming in Nepal, and the challenges face. The guidelines discuss the climate risks associated with fish farming and how fish farming affects the climate and environment and conclude with suggestions for the reduction of the climate and environmental risks. The guidelines are available in English and Nepali. The collaborative nature undertaken in the development of these guidelines ensures that the voice of the Nepali women fish farmers is kept alive in decisions and actions that affect them. 

Roseanna Avento

Kobe Global

Twinning Partner Representative Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association

The project: ‘Women for Entrepreneurship and Resilience - transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains’ project in Nepal’ is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland from 2021-2024

Vietnam: combining of forestry with beekeeping and poultry provides several benefits

Beekeeping and poultry combined with Acacia trees has been providing additional income for Tran Thi Lan Sinh and her family in Vietnam.

Tran Thi Lan Sinh is a farmer from Binh Yen village in Quang Ngai province, Vietnam. Har family of four have half a hectare agricultural land and 3 hectares forest land. The main livelihood activity is combined production of agriculture and forestry, along with livestock farming. The family has benefited from the FFD project through beekeeping activities.

Tran Thi Lan Sinh on how her family has benefitted from the project:

Tran Thi Lan Sinh have learned about beekeeping through the FFD project.

“Prior to our involvement in the project, our family was engaged in cultivating rice and a variety of flower types, while simultaneously planting Acacia hybrid trees and raising poultry beneath the forest canopy. With the support of the project, our family has introduced more bee colonies under the Acacia hybrid trees, a development that has greatly enthused us due to the supplementary income it brings. We firmly believe that the harmonious integration of forest cultivation and livestock farming is a highly efficient approach. In particular, the coexistence of poultry and bees under the Acacia hybrid trees has proven to be a symbiotic arrangement, with poultry benefiting from termite insects as a food source and the Acacia flowers serving as a valuable resource for honey production. Through this combined approach of cultivating Acacia hybrid trees and raising livestock under the forest canopy, our family has successfully generated additional income. Looking ahead, we have plans to expand our beekeeping operations to further support our livelihoods and to help replicate this model for the benefit of others in our community.”

Smallholder coffee producers and coffee certifications

For the coffee cooperatives in the FFD project in Honduras the certification process has not always been smooth. Photo: FFD

In 2023, we concluded a project that aimed to support local coffee cooperatives in western Honduras. The project was approved just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and its first year was heavily influenced by the challenges posed by the pandemic. I joined the project at the beginning of 2021, and it was evident that recent problems with certification, internal frictions, and the pandemic were pushing one of the local cooperatives under financial stress.

A common complaint among producers and cooperative administrators was “certification is too expensive”, coupled with the idea that the benefits did not justify the expenses. While this sentiment is not entirely new, as similar remarks are occasionally heard from timber producers and agricultural cooperatives in the Global South, it was a recurring theme in the region.

Our project focused on supporting the institutional development of cooperatives, formalizing inclusion strategies, identifying key climate change-related risks, and devising strategies to enhance farmers' resilience. Certification, within this framework, was not a primary area of interest for farmers or cooperatives. However, by the end of the project, it became clear that cooperatives viewed certification as a fixed cost rather than an opportunity. It is worth noting that these cooperatives already held multiple certifications, with the majority of their production being UTZ/Rain-Forest and Fair Trade certified, and some farmers also having organic certifications for both the US and EU markets, along with other lesser-known certifications such as "indigenous women producers."

The coffee cooperatives in Honduras produce high quality coffee. Photo: FFD

A few months ago, while preparing a lecture for an Agroforestry course, I decided to explore some certification statistics for coffee and came across a few interesting findings (although the figures may vary depending on the sources):

• Coffee ranks as the second or third commodity, after forestry and cotton, with the highest percentage of certified area (20-40%) and production (25-55%) [1, 2].

• The coffee industry lacks the capacity to absorb all certified coffee, with some suggesting that almost three-quarters of certified coffee is marketed and sold as conventional coffee [2].

• The economic benefits of certification are dependent on several factors, making the benefits less straightforward [3, 4, 5, 6].

• Finland stands out as one of the main consumers of certified coffee in Europe [1].

These findings left me with some lingering questions:

• Is the current level of certification, which covers only 50% of global coffee production, the maximum achievable through “voluntary” and “market-based” approaches?

• Does this trend apply to other agricultural products as well?

• Can I recommend certification to small coffee producers and cooperatives?

Some argue that we should only promote certification when it makes financial sense. Granted, by examining the references and engaging in discussions with experts, one can ascertain that medium to large farmers, situated in areas with decent road infrastructure, close proximity to export ports, and within countries with well-established coffee sectors, are more likely to benefit significantly from certification. However, all these considerations become irrelevant if the demand side is elastic (meaning that price changes significantly impact demand) and if the market for certified products is already saturated.

Coffee prices have remained high following the price hike of 2022 [7], but there was a subsequent decline in consumption that has since recovered [8]. Long-term trends indicate increasing production and consumption [8], with consumption rebounding relatively quickly after price disruptions (usually associated with adverse weather affecting the growing season) once prices stabilize. However, with the ongoing inflationary pressure and high interest rates, household budgets for consumption are constrained and unlikely to accommodate further price increases.

I would argue that these factors, combined with the oversupply of certified coffee, have led to a narrowing of the price gap between certified and non-certified production. As profit margins shrink along the value chain – in order to control prices and prevent declines in consumption - certified coffee is often sold and marketed as non-certified coffee. By the way, have you noticed an increase in the availability of non-certified coffee at supermarkets?

Don't misunderstand me; I do understand the indirect economic benefits that come with the certification process, such as improved management and accounting practices, reduced reliance on agrochemicals, and increased provision of ecosystem services. However, these benefits can be achieved without having to pay a third party for a certification stamp that appears to provide only a marginal increase in selling price. While expanding the demand for certified coffee among advanced economies and even within producer countries is a strategy that is occasionally discussed, its impact is likely to be limited given the budget constraints on consumption in these regions, which are significantly tighter than in developed economies.

I cannot say with certainty whether this situation is similar for other agricultural products, as I currently lack the necessary information. However, I assume that similar dynamics may be at play. Would I recommend certification to the next coffee farmer or cooperative I meet? Not immediately. It would depend on the specific conditions. However, adopting an ISO Standard for sustainable farm management and mainstreaming it among producers could yield similar benefits at lower cost for producers and cooperatives.

 Adrián Monge Monge

Climate and Adaptation Expert at FFD

Coffee Photo: FFD

REFERENCES

[1] Meier, C., Sampson, G., Larrea, C., Schlatter, B., Voora, V., Dang, D., Bermudez, S., Wozniak, J., and Willer, H. (2020). The State of Sustainable Markets 2020: Statistics and Emerging Trends. ITC, Geneva.

[2] Panhuysen, S. and De Vries, F. (2023): Coffee Barometer 2023. Conservation International, Solidaridad, and Ethos Agriculture.

[3] W. Vellema, A. Buritica Casanova, C. Gonzalez, M. D’Haese (2015). The effect of specialty coffee certification on household livelihood strategies and specialisation, Food Policy, Volume 57, 13-25.

[4] Joshua G. Bray & Jeffrey Neilson (2017) Reviewing the impacts of coffee certification programmes on smallholder livelihoods, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 13:1, 216-232.

[5] Anna Snider, Isabel Gutiérrez, Nicole Sibelet, Guy Faure (2017) Small farmer cooperatives and voluntary coffee certifications: Rewarding progressive farmers of engendering widespread change in Costa Rica?, Food Policy, Volume 69, 231-242.

[6] Jena, P. R., & Grote, U. (2022). Do Certification Schemes Enhance Coffee Yields and Household Income? Lessons Learned Across Continents. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, 716904.

[7] https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/coffee

[8] ICO. (2023). Coffee Report and Outlook 2023. International Coffee Organization. 

A decade of twinning with women fish farmers in Nepal

FFD has been supporting women fish farmers in Nepal since 2013, and slightly earlier, together with the Finnish Fish Farmer's Association. The end of 2023 is the perfect time to reflect on what these past years have meant.

Fish farmers in Chitwan Nepal harvesting carp. Photo: Roseanna Avento.

In 2012, the Finnish Fish Farmer's Association's then Director Anu-Maria Sandel left Finland to Nepal, excited to meet Dr Sunila Rai and the women fish farmers with whom the work would begin. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, she was to fly to Bharatpur. Some waiting occurred and she could see no one there to meet her. She recalled that a police officer was supposed to meet her, so she approached the first one she saw and asked if he might be waiting for her. “No, no!”, he said. She was bewildered. He was too. He nicely called the Kathmandu Police to find out if someone might be waiting for a foreign lady and lo and behold, yes! A police officer had been waiting for her in Kathmandu but could not locate her, and then the truth dawned on everyone. Dear Anu had boarded a flight to Bhaktapur and not Bharatpur, about 160 km away.

A year later in 2013, my time as twin started and while I got to Bharatpur without any problems, I found myself adjusting to a new English. Nepali English. The project team took me to visit all the project sites and at each one, I saw lots of fishponds. I have never visited so many fishponds in the span of 10 days, and while it was interesting, the women fish farmers I met, and their language were so much more fascinating. I was familiar with Indian English, but Nepali English is a different version of English from Indian English- even though there may be similarities.

First, my being addressed as ma'am took me aback. "I'm not a ma'am. I'm not that ancient", I thought to myself. I later found out that it was a sign of respect. Silly me. So, back to the fishpond where I was standing with this group of women and a few men. It was boiling hot, and it was probably the 50th pond I was staring at that day, all of them alike. One of the men approached me and said “Look, piss in the pond”. “Piss in the pond?” I said, confused. “Yes, ma'am. Piss. Piss in the pond”. There was an odd and strange silence and then it dawned on me! “Oh... fish!! fish in the pond”. We all had a good laugh.  I later learnt other nuances. “What happened to the one chap we met here, last time?” I asked Dr Sunila after one of our field trips. "Oh, he deleted!”, she answered, meaning the fellow had passed onto the other side. On another occasion with a former student of mine, we were prompted to "Shit here", but we were very careful not to defecate in front of our very kind hosts. Every moment I have spent in Nepal, I have learnt new Nepali English phrases, which make me highly appreciate the diversity of the language we call English - it changes everywhere we go and meanings are as you make them!

Yet, in Nepal there are many places where people do not speak English and I have had to rely on people I see as my heroes: the interpreters. As a twin, I cannot count the many people that have been interpreters for me, but I can say they have been among the most valuable people there ever has been. They will make your life easier, tell you what is being said and be your mouthpiece, and they provide context. And no, not everyone can write and type Nepali, not even people from Nepal. My advice to anyone planning a project: make space for interpreters and translators and pay them well.  They are monumental and essential, and they deserve proper recognition, monetary and otherwise.

Nepalese fish farmers joining for a meeting. Photo: Roseanna Avento.

The women fish farmers I have met on this journey are from two different districts: Chitwan and Nawalparasi. The two are not that far from each other. Or, they are. It depends. “Depends on what?”, you may ask. Well, Bharatpur in Chitwan is about a 160 km journey from Kathmandu, about a 5 to 6-hour drive. Driving from Bharatpur to Lumbini in Nawalparasi will take about 2 to 3 hours. My first time going to Nawalparasi, I was struck by the road, or rather, its lack thereof. We drove along a riverbed. In the monsoon season, there is no way to go through. Sometimes they travel by scooter and sometimes they travel by tractor. That is some perspective for those of us in Finland who travel between cities in comfortable trains and buses, often complaining about the Wi-Fi connection.

In these two regions, the women fish farmers are as diverse as they come. Some are Hindu, some are Buddhist, some are Tharu, some are Bhramin and their ages vary from late teens to the 90s. They all are so different, but there is one thing they all have in common- fish and fish farming. They all grow fish in small or big ponds, depending on their own circumstances. They all cook fish and serve it to their families and share it with their neighbours and sell it too. For this was how the story started. With small ponds to provide for their own families in 2013, and now in 2023, they are establishing cooperative-based enterprises through which they can sell their increased production and gain a higher income.

They have come far these women from the Nepal Terai, learning the basics of fish farming, interacting with each other, sharing the responsibilities ranging from feeding of fish to harvesting of fish. Even though many of them admit they do not like harvesting fish. It is tough work, and the ponds can be deep and scary. They would rather the men do the harvesting as well as the digging and preparation of the ponds for stocking. Fish farming is undoubtably scary for the women sometimes. They may encounter wildlife like rhinos and wild boar, or even the odd crocodile. Having men around at times like this is always important. They can help provide protection.

Although the fish farming activities we have supported over the years have been labelled women fish farming, I like to think of this more pragmatically. Whole families have been involved. The gender equality aspect that we have sought to support cannot be achieved by just supporting women alone. Rather, the men in the families and in the communities must also be involved. By being inclusive rather than restrictive, we have been able to pave the way for increased women participation in fish farming. 

In this 10-year journey, there are also those moments when hardship has been faced. Nepal is a natural-disaster prone country, that carries a huge burden from climate change. It is a landlocked country between two dragons, China and India, that sometimes use their power positions ruthlessly to favour their own agendas, including barring of fuel and food transportation across the borders. Developing self-sufficiency and resilience building is Nepal’s only way out of these crises. In the meantime, Nepal and her people continue to suffer turmoil in the face of natural calamities.

The Gorka earthquake in 2015 stopped our operations and damaged some fish farms and homes. The fear in the eyes of the women around me is something I can never erase from memory. The wonder of “why is the earth is shaking and causing havoc?” and questions of “will we survive?” surrounded us. Their collective fear for their families and themselves but also simultaneous concern for my wellbeing was astounding.  FFD and the donors ended up supporting reconstruction measures with part of the project funding. The joy and appreciation of the families that benefitted from that support was unsurmountable. I will not forget the family that showed off their brand-new pink house to us, with tears in their eyes. They had lived for almost a year in their chicken coop.

The lessons I have learnt from these brave women fish farmers in Nepal are extremely valuable. Girls, women, wives and mothers everywhere around the world, face the same struggles in the lives, no matter their language, social, economic, cultural or religious background. Their endurance in the face of hardship is mind blowing. How much they have transformed their lives is amazing. With the earnings they have got from fish farming, they have managed to improve their livelihoods, better their family nutrition and pay for the education of their daughters (and sons). I have seen women, young and old, learn to read, learn to use a computer, create a selling campaign and even create a monitoring system. We have sat together and mused about how their groups and cooperatives run, about how to encourage children to eat fish and so forth. We worked with their community schools and put together school meals from fish and cleaned the surrounding environment together.

My being a twin to these women has never been about 'teaching' anyone but being someone to lean on, being a supporter, a sister, a daughter.. maybe a granddaughter...who walks the journey with them, and has them walk with me.  So for a decade gone, I thank the women fish farmers of Nepal, and hopefully we shall continue to walk together for a decade more.

Roseanna Avento

Kobe Global

Twinning Partner Representative Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association

The project: ‘Women for Entrepreneurship and Resilience - transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains’ project in Nepal’ is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland from 2021-2024

FFD 10 years - A Decade of Impact

Ten years, multiple projects, tens of thousands of farmers capacitated, hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries reached, and finally, all the work to promote inclusive, systemic changes. FFD has facilitated smallholder farmers’ and forest keepers’ resilience, well-being, and strengthened their organizations to continue operating even if our collaboration may end. This has been the story of FFD, and we are glad to continue it.

FFD started its work to support producer organizations in the Global South 10 years ago. Now is the time to take stock of our successes and key achievements. At the 10th Year Anniversary seminar “Farmers for sustainable and responsible food systems and forestry – from local action to systemic change” on 12 October 2023, we discussed producers and their role in a sustainable and responsible food system.

We had a look at the results of FFD’s work from the past years and heard stories from our cooperative partners around the world! The FFD 10th Year Anniversary Seminar took take place in Helsinki, Finland on 12th of October 2023 as well as online, and the video recording of the whole seminar is found here.

Women fish farmers in the Terai embark on entrepreneurship

Women Fish Farmers discussing their business plans and future diversification of income generation.

Picture: Roseanna Avento.

Almost 300 women fish farmers in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts in Nepal are organized into three cooperatives and five groups. The Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development (FFD) has been supporting them through the ‘Women for Entrepreneurship and Resilience’- transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains’ project. This four-year collaboration aims at enhancing women’s income generation, entrepreneurship and livelihoods resilience. The main project focus is to develop resilience to climate change and disaster-risks, by developing climate-smart production, income generation and community-based enterprises.

The women fish farmers have been receiving training on business planning and have also had workshops to determine how they can diversify their income. In addition, they have been developing their skills through different training on fish product handling and preparation of different fish products. The three cooperatives are now investigating the possibilities of starting their own businesses, which would benefit their members.

Starting a business is no small féte and the cooperatives have well-understood that embarking on such a venture requires long-term commitment and proper planning. Of utmost important is that the business idea is practical, economically sustainable and develops resilience to climate change and disaster-risks. In November, sessions were held with each cooperative to discuss their business ideas. Sundardeep Women Fish Farmers’ Cooperative were investigating the possibilities of embarking on a restaurant business focused on fish food, whereas Mishrit Cooperative was intent on starting a business to produce fish feed for carps. Kapia Women’s  Cooperative was still not completely decided on their business idea, however they had four directions in mind: a live fish shop, production of dried fish, production of fish feed for carps and a fish farming utility shop.

Scoping exercises and discussions with each cooperative encouraged them to think of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats around each of their ideas, while also keeping in mind the resources needed. A major need that was imminent among all the cooperatives was training on production techniques and development of know-how. In addition, they all cited marketing training as necessary, and luckily this was already on the training agenda of 2022. Furthermore, the cooperatives also cited financial literacy as a skill needed for them to succeed in their business. Training on financial literacy will be provided in 2023.

Investments are needed by the cooperatives to cater for permits and licenses for example registration at the municipality level and with the tax authority. In addition, they all need start-up capital. They have all committed to providing some of the start-up capital themselves, and in addition once the feasibility studies on each of the business ideas are done, some start-up capital may be provided by the project.

While the business enterprises seem a big step forward for the cooperatives, this is not totally new ground for them. Sundardeep for instance invested in a fish shop a few years ago, where in exchange for their initial investment, the cooperative receives five per cent of the profits of sales. In addition, Sundardeep provides the shop with 100-150 kg/year of fish, Kapia Women’s Cooperative about 700-800 kg/year and Rai Women’s Group about 1300 kg/ year. The shop sells about 5000 kg / year of fish. Fish sold include: big-head carp, silver carp, rohu and pangasius.

Embarking on a new cooperative business will, however, require a lot of careful planning and decisions. The women fish farmers in the Nepal Terai are struggling with the same question women entrepreneurs in developed countries struggle with: will I have enough time? how do I balance the business with my family life and my household chores? At the same time their motivation to start fish farming related businesses is imminent. When asked what made them proud as fish farmers, they replied:  ‘I can make my own income’, ‘I can have my own ponds and not work for others’ and quite strikingly,  ‘We women are proud that we can do something on our own. We also pride ourselves on being independent and being able to build our identity in society’.

Some questions still remain open, for example, which of the business ideas will actually be feasible and which of the ideas will we take forward together. One thing that is not uncertain, however, is these women will make it, because they believe and they can.

Roseanna Avento

Kobe Global

Twinning Partner Representative Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association

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The project: ‘Women for Entrepreneurship and Resilience - transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains’ project in Nepal’ is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland from 2021-2024

Enhancing cooperation and entrepreneurship in Nepal’s women community forest user groups

Let’s journey to the Dang District of Lumbini Province in Nepal with its 241 254 hectares of forest area, of which 46% is community forests. The concept of community forestry was introduced in Nepal in the 1970s and its participatory approach where local communities are involved in forest management together with government and international organisations has positive implications for not only conservation of forests, but also using the forests for livelihoods management sustainably.

It is here we find Tulispur City with its one and half million population and the Amritpur Social Entrepreneur Cooperative (ASEC) that encompasses 10 community forest user groups: Triveni, Mahalaxmi, Nawa Durga, Ashwara, Samjhana, Namauna Mahila, Phulbari, Mayalu, Srijana Mahila and Annapurna. Together, they comprise 3000 households that practice small-scale forestry activities.

The Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development (FFD) project “Women for entrepreneurship and resilience – transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains in Nepal” aims to enhance women’s income generation, entrepreneurship and livelihood resilience. In Tulsipur, women in the community forest user groups create new products and services to enhance their income-generation opportunities and entrepreneurship, thereby creating social safety nets and livelihood security.

Their activities focus on non-timber forest products. Non-timber forest products are any product or service other than timber, and fuel wood that is produced in forests and are an important element of forests. They include medicinal and aromatic plants, bamboo and rattan, nuts, fruits, tubers and barriers, grasses, leaves, resins etc. and can be obtained from trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and so forth.

In Tulispur, the community forests are mostly made up of sal tree (Shorea robusta) forests. Sal trees are used as timber and fuelwoods and its leaves are used for plates (the Tapari, Duna and Bota). Sal leaf plate production is a traditional forest-based occupation and enterprise in Nepal dependant on the availability of sal leaves from nearby forests. In addition, sal leaves are used as animal feeds, while sal fruits and seeds have medicinal use in Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest traditional healing sciences, taught by oral tradition.

Managing community forests and an income generation from the use of non-timber forest products, however, still faces many challenges in Nepal. One of the project activities completed in 2021, included an assessment of climate change impacts on forestry-based enterprises under ASEC. The results showed that increased precipitation will increase the occurrence of floods. In addition, it was determined that drier seasons will become drier and instances of drought will increase. The assessment also showed that the occurrence of forest fires is also a major challenge in Dang, and these are mostly human induced. It was estimated that, on average, 77 forest fire days occurred in Nepal between the years 2001-2020, resulting in an on average in annual loss of 172 040.65 ha of forests. According to reports from ASEC, forest fires contributed to an estimated loss of 1844 ha of forests in Dang in 2022.

Disaster (e.g forest fires) risk reduction measures are now being implemented. To mitigate the forest fires, ASEC embarked on the building of a dam in Chuckle Kola at the border of the Mahalaxmi and Ashwara community forest areas. The dam stocks water (5000 m3) during the rainy season for use in the dry season, mainly for forest fire control. The dam also provides water for irrigation to approximately 100 households in both community forest groups, covering about 50 hectares of agricultural land in the surrounding catchment area. In addition, the dam is also a water source for wildlife, which suffer greatly during the drought season. The construction of the dam took three and a half months and cost two million NPR (15 000€).

An irrigation committee, encompassing 60 household from the community forest user-group, was established to manage the dam. The irrigation committee collects a 50 NPR (0.40€) monthly fee from the households, for maintenance of the dam, improving irrigation and farming of new crops. They have collected about 40 000 NPR (300€) to date.

In the July to September rainy season of 2022, the dam unfortunately underwent some damage with one meter of earth, on one side of the dam, flushed away by the heavy rain. Repair work will be done over the next two to three months. Despite this challenge, the dam has already proved a successful venture. For example, one community forest group user farmed one hectare of cucumbers using irrigated waters from the dam and earned 50 000 NPR (390€). Further uses for the dam waters are also being developed. For example, the community forest user groups are also planning to irrigate 1.5 to 2 hectares of land and turn it into a green park for community use and enhancing well-being.

Here, two community forest user groups came together for a common venture and now the benefits are being accrued not only at community level, but also at the household and individual level. The community forest user groups through their cooperation substantiate Mahatma Ghandi’s words:  “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”

Roseanna Avento

Kobe Global

Twinning Partner Representative Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association

The project: ‘Women for Entrepreneurship and Resilience - transforming fish-farming and forest value-chains’ project in Nepal’ is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland from 2021-2024