Bio-diversity

Context: Smallholder subsistence farmers clear land for pasture and farmland, to provide short-term economic opportunity for households suffering from poverty and food insecurity. However, the loss of tree cover is linked to land degradation and declining water resources. This represents a real and immediate risk in a region that is already prone to drought. The predominance of low-productivity agriculture as an economic activity makes land degradation particularly harmful to household food security. Climatic disasters are compounding land degradation issues through frequent drought and flooding, steep slopes and high-intensity rains. By far, the highest impact human-induced land degradation results from removal of woodlands, over-grazing and agriculture production practices that do not allow the soil to maintain or replenish nutrients. This project aims at equipping Maasai women with skills in sustainable agriculture and alternative income generating activities for increased climate change resilience and improved livelihoods About the NGO The Maasai Women Development Organization (MWEDO) was established in response to the government efforts towards achievement of the goal for sustainable and equitable human development. The main purpose for its establishment was to support Maasai women in sustainable development. The organization was legally registered in the year 2000 as a non-governmental organization and has been providing services to Maasai women and communities since its establishment. MWEDO has worked towards empowerment of Maasai women economically, culturally and socially through improved access to education and maternal health services. MWEDO is also promoting women s economic empowerment through land, natural resources rights and more recently sustainable agriculture. Project s Primary Objective To build the capacity of local Maasai Women to combat issues of food insecurity through sustainable agricultural practices

Tanzania