CAPAD is a national farmers' organization in Burundi that supports over 135,000 smallholder farm households through 123 agricultural cooperatives. It aims to improve agricultural production and market access for family farmers. Women farmers face challenges like illiteracy and limited access to land, inputs, financing and markets. CAPAD and its partners provide training to empower women farmers and increase their involvement in cooperatives. This helps women gain skills and autonomy. Cooperatives facilitate women's access to productive resources and finance. Testimonies from women in eastern Burundi show that through cooperatives, women have improved production, income, food security and living standards. They have also gained solidarity, social cohesion and economic empowerment.

1. The role of women farmers and how
cooperatives improve their skills,
income and access to markets
Brussels Development Briefing no. 57, Sept 2019
Annick SEZIBERA
CAPAD Executive Secretary

2. INTRODUCING CAPAD
• CAPAD is a national farmers’ organisation that
brings together:
 135,814 smallholder family farm households
 123 agricultural cooperatives (Cereals, Coffee,
Fruit, Vegetables, Food crops, Patchouli)
 72 municipalities in 17 provinces (all over the
country)
 73 full-time employees
 Database of its members and support to
agricultural partners: 48% illiterate women
 2017-2021 Strategic Plan: ‘Improving and
promoting agricultural production in favour of
family farmers and their cooperatives’

3. CHALLENGES FACING WOMEN FARMERS IN
BURUNDI
• Limited capacity, illiteracy
• Limited access to factors of
production: land, inputs, financing,
markets
• Limited involvement in decision-
making
• Multi-functional and multi-tasking
• Tough work: agricultural tools,
transport, household activities
• Self-discrimination
• Traditions and cultures: stereotyped

4. ACTIONS BY CAPAD AND ITS PARTNERS TO IMPROVE THE
PARTICIPATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
FARMERS
Training for women and increasing
their autonomy
Involving women in
clusters/cooperatives, supporting
their participation in governing bodies
Assistance for increasing production
and activities to enhance the value of
the support framework
Facilitating access to factors of
production and finance
Facilitating access to markets

5. TESTIMONIES OF WOMEN FROM THE MOSO
REGION IN EASTERN BURUNDI
PASCASIE NDIKUMAGAMBO – farmer Cooperation to better meet the needs of
everyone
• Individual awareness and collective action
• Activities based on cooperation
• Taking responsibility and ownership of the
cooperative: becoming a leader to develop
the family and the community
• A new impetus for informal activities
• Increase in production and standard of living
• Always thinking bigger and further ahead
• “Life is better than it used to be, my children
have a varied diet (...) if they need meat, I can
give it to them.”
“Before, we used to take out usurious loans at
exorbitant rates. Now, I have already contracted
more than 10 credits with the MUSO under
proper conditions, which allows me to gradually
move forward with my various projects.” Thanks
to the MUSO, Espérance was able to buy a pig
and a cow that supply her with organic manure.

6. TESTIMONIES OF WOMEN FROM THE MOSO REGION IN
EASTERN BURUNDI:
ESPÉRANCE NIZIGIYIMANA – farmer
The cluster and the cooperative, generating initiatives and
solidarity
• Strengthening social cohesion; always setting new goals on the path to
autonomy
• Developing knowledge and changing methods
• Diversifying sources of revenue: working in the fields in the morning,
commercial activity in the afternoon
• Training in income-generating activities. Today, we are making a profit. We
no longer sell our production below market prices.
• Income-generating activities thanks to the strength of the group: the
breaking point, grouping together into a cluster, cooperative membership
and the creation of a MUSO; solidarity and daily management around
common agricultural activities
• The MUSO has enabled the economic development of each of its members
“We have set up a chain of solidarity with the members of the group. We
bought a goat together and the young of each litter are distributed to the
members. In the long term, we hope that each of them will be able to receive
a goat.”

7. CONCLUSIONS
• The cluster and the cooperative, generating
initiatives, training, solidarity, mutual aid, and
empowerment, enabling access to and
achievement of objectives that are individually
inaccessible
• Improving the empowerment of women and
their participation at every level
“Storing our production in the cooperative's warehouse was a good way to fight against
waste. This allows us to manage and control our production. You're not tempted to grab a
handful of beans or corn, just to buy a beer, for example. We can now expect prices to be
rewarding.”