Indigenous knowledge and practices, often enhances the conservation of biodiversity and, can be used as the basis for rural development. In this program, we aim to increase the diversity of enterprises with the rural women farmers. The IA programme is also working with rural women to enhance their productive capacity, through capacity building via integrated training on the use of new and appropriate technology transfer which include improved cook-stoves and fuel for cooking and use of renewable energy sources, on techniques in improved farming methods for sustainable agricultural including permaculture design and development, help them to acquire food preservation techniques leading to increased food production and food security. It is also helping to develop better and sustainable methods for transferring eco-friendly knowledge and skills to the rural people living within the community, and therefore, help to reduce expectation and over dependency on outsiders. Further, it is expected that rural women, in the long run, would be able to meet the general economic objectives of their family, through improved quality of life and education for their children.
Small loans make a difference to the lives of low-income rural women.
Opening up for low-income women entrepreneurs to get access to financial information and markets and everything else changes. These women are the ones who will in the end change the realities of their families, of their communities, and any institution that works with them, will be changed too, for the better in terms of loan repayment or good inter-relationship, as women tends to be very good in money matters. Better income for women leads to more food on family table, more girls go to school and women s empowerment is improved. However, there is a need to develop simple and cost-effective ways of assessing its ultimate impact on the overall general well being of the rural communities. Return to the top of this document Importance of Grouping In Sustainable rural development programmes, the participation of target groups, in all phases, is a prerequisite for a successful implementation of projects, through ways that involve rural communities as stake holders, in order for them to derive direct benefits from it.