With women making up massive portion, roughly 80%, of the workforce, ensuring gender-responsive horticulture through strategic interventions is an undisputable prioritized area of engagement to make the industry more productive, resilient, and sustainable.
Hence, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association – EHPEA has been dedicatedly promoting impactful initiatives to ensure gender equality and to economically and socially empower women who are critical agents of change in the horticulture sector, for which Ethiopia is often referred to as a sleeping giant.
The EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie says the intervention has been designed after the findings of an independent baseline survey and study commissioned years back to identify the challenges of gender issues in the horticulture sub-sector.
“The interventions not only focus on building the capacity of men and women workers of the industry but also equipping management of farms with gender lens,” says Tewodros, recalling the condition at which the committed move started also with the establishment of the Gender Department at EHPEA which is now part of the organogram of the Association.
With strategic initiatives, EHPEA has been intervening to promote safe working environment, equitable pay and leadership opportunities, while ensuring gender-sensitive services, programs and facilities.
Providing specialized training and technical support on gender-sensitive management practices is among EHPEA’s major interventions of the course.
Yesteryear Challenges
Due to the gaps in the creation, documentation, adoption, and implementation of workplace policies related to gender equality and employee welfare, the industry was once characterized by high employee turnover, absenteeism, and sick leave rates often linked to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns, gender-based violence (GBV), harassment, and workplace conflicts.
In addition to lack of awareness among workers of their rights, workplace protections, and health-seeking behaviors, there was also limited technical capacity and commitment from the employer side, marked by inadequate mechanisms for addressing workplace grievances and promoting gender-responsive practices.
Sowing Game-Changing Seed
The farm-level Gender Committee initiative was, therefore, introduced in 2014 to respond to the critical gender-related gaps identified at both workplace and worker levels within the horticulture sector.
Established across EHPEA member farms, more than 800 gender committee members are now active representing diverse groups, including male workers, health professionals, management, trade union, general workers and other workplace committees.
This multi-stakeholder approach has been designed and implemented to ensure broad representation and promotes collective responsibility for creating safe and equitable workplaces.
Committed Course
Supported especially by continued capacity building programs of EHPEA, farm gender committees have been playing indispensable role in promoting farm workers’ rights, well-being, and workplace accountability.
They shoulder vital responsibilities ranging from handling workplace grievances and supporting case management processes to delivering peer-to-peer awareness and training sessions on gender-sensitive issues, social and economic matters.
Blooming Yields
As EHPEA continues to provide dedicated support, especially through specialized and tailored training interventions, member farms have made significant progresses in advancing gender-responsive horticulture.
It is tangibly witnessed at many farms, where gender committees have made substantial contributions to improved workers’ awareness of their rights, ensuring health and other support services, and enhanced reporting and handling workplace grievances and GBV-related concerns.
Employee retention and workforce stability have been improved in many farms as a result of reduced turnover and absenteeism due to increased employee satisfaction and trust in workplace systems.
Testimonials from Farms
Beredu Sitie of Herburg Rose and Meseret Tesfaye of Dummen Orange (Red Fox Ethiopia Plc) are chair and secretary of their respective farm gender committees. They laud the gender committees’ contributions to the social and business achievements of farms by addressing gender-sensitive issues.
Highlighting the achievements in addressing previously existing gender-based violence and harassment within the subsector, Beredu proudly notes that her Farm has won recognition by the community, while being acclaimed and securing several accolades from relevant local and international bodies for its championship on gender-responsive practices.
She further states that notable works have also been done in critical gender-sensitive areas like maternal leave and breast feeding related issues.
Beredu
“We operate with annual plans; we work in close collaboration with pertinent institutions; and there is also the support and assistance from the Association (EHPEA),” says Beredu.
Reiterating that gender-responsive practices have huge impacts on business success of farms, particularly to access lucrative markets, Meseret hails the role farm gender committees play in improving workplace condition and achieving success of farms.
“The gender committee has made substantial contribution to the creation of decent working environment at our Farm, while addressing employee turnover and achieving local and international compliance certifications,” says Meseret.
Meseret
Stating that there are a number of accomplishments in the area of gender-sensitive practices, both Meseret and Beredu note that there are established systems that facilitate conducive working environment as well as mechanisms that support, encourage and empower women at their respective Farms.
Reiterating that the concerted efforts deployed to implement gender intervention at the sub-sector level have resulted in concrete gains for the workers and the farms with better productivity and profitability, the Executive Director says EHPEA will remain committed and continue to work relentlessly to address the remaining grey areas.
