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Rural women are a priority target for IFAD and, in most appraisal reports, provision is made for a fixed portion of credit to be available to women on the same terms as for men. However, evaluation reports of projects in West Africa reveal that, so far, IFAD achievements in this area have been poor, whatever the approach for credit.
In the classic manner of agricultural projects, loans are made to finance the purchase of inputs and equipment to meet production objectives. Extension services work with farmers groups or village associations (VAs) made up of heads of farm households. Since these groups mimic the existing distribution of power within the villages, women are often poorly represented. In Aguie, Niger, women received only 11% of the total number of loans and 4.5% of the total sum disbursed through the VAs. The purpose for which credit is provided under the project is often more relevant to men (typically for a plough, not a cart; or animal breeding, not small trading). In a small number of evaluated projects, some equipment destined for women's groups has been the object of medium-term loans, such as communal motorized pumps (SRS 009/023 NG and SRS 004 ML) and grain mills (SRS 009/023 NG and SRS 015 SE). Since the use and purpose of credit has been pre-determined by the project, credit has suffered from low profitability and default problems. When women's activities are specifically mentioned in the appraisal report and a portion of loans are directed to them, the secondary importance of this sub-component in relation to the main components of the project is cause for poor implementation.
In the case of the Fouta Djallon Village Development Funds (VDF) and VAs, where the use of internal credit is freely developed, women are poorly favored because they are not formal members of the VAs. Most of the loans are made to the traders and prominent members of the community who sit on the loan committees.
In
the Coopérative dEpargne et de Crédit (COOPEC) systems, women are also
in the minority. In the Conservation des Eaux et du Sol/Agroforesterie
(CES/AGF) programs in Burkina Faso (SRS 001 BF), they only receive 15%
of loans granted by the Association pour le Développement de la Région
de Kaya (ADRK) and Fédération des Unions de Groupements Naam (FUGN) branches.
The Mutelle Congolaise dEpargne et de Crédit (MUCODEC) at Kindamba, Congo
(187 CG), had not granted a single
loan to women by its mid-term evaluation. This COOPEC problem is not specific
only to IFAD-financed projects: In Mali, women represent less than 5%
of the Kafo Jiginew network member-clients. COOPEC credits currently available
are not well suited to women's needs. The requirement of prior savings
is often a barrier, either because women's capacity to save is limited,
or because withholding funds for several months while this condition is
met can affect their productive activities (women traders in Atacora,
Benin). Women usually need smaller loans, yet the down-payments required
to become account holders can be high (in Kafo Jiginew, contributions
are 5,000 francs CFA). In addition, techniques developed to inform and
promote these systems are aimed at household heads. Consequently, the
schemes suffer from image problems, viewed only for men or prominent citizens
(able to influence administrative committees).
On the other hand, systems of group lending (Crédit Solidaire) and self-managed village schemes (VISACA), whose services are tailored (no prior deposits, smaller loans), and informative promotional techniques based on participative inquiries and meetings do get satisfactory results in terms of targeting women. Women are the main clientele of the Small Rural Credit Project in Burkina Faso (98% of loans went to women in 1994). They represent 48% of Guinean rural credit borrowers and 30-50% of account holders in all branches supported by VISACAs of the Centre International de Développement et de Recherche (CIDR) in the Sahel region.
- To reach rural women, the nature and type of credit must be adapted to their specific activities and financial capacity. Small, easily accessible cash loans requiring no previous deposits must be offered by all financial operators, including COOPEC. In Benin, the Caisses Locales de Crédit Agricole Mutuel (CLCAMs) have recently met these requirements by offering the "very small loan to women", as has the Réseau des Caisses Populaires (RCPB) in Burkina Faso.
- Information and communication directed to women should be improved. A participative approach involving all those concerned (especially women) is favored when compiling statistical and secondary source information during the preparatory process prior to establishing financial branches. During the promotional phase, information should not be limited to male household heads but must also be available to women. "Women Only" meetings can be useful, as can be the presence of women project field workers.
Select any of the following related project profiles for background information: 056 GU, 101 BE, 103 ML, 187 CG, 198 GH, SRS-011 BF, SRS-012 GU.
