COMMON PROJECT ELEMENT

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES - SPFS PHASE I

Women's Group Development

Women play an important role in the farming communities and in the introduction of new technologies and practices. The project will, therefore, seek the cooperation and inputs of local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the training of women's groups to promote On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) and crop intensification.

Through appropriate contractual arrangements, the services of local NGOs will be:

• to review the role of women in the project pilot areas, and assess their potential and interest in participating in irrigated agriculture and the OFWM programme;
• to organize special training sessions to present objectives and technologies of the OFWM programme;
• to promote the participation of women in the Water Users' Associations and, where appropriate, the formation of women's groups for specific irrigated crop production;
• to facilitate their access to credit and other resources;
• to disseminate relevant water control techniques to other women's groups outside the pilot areas;
• to prepare relevant reports on activities undertaken.

Further details and conditions for the contractual arrangements will be worked out by the National Team during the Participatory Rural Appraisal surveys.