Component Objectives, Strategy, Target Population, Gender & Environmental Issues

Environmental and Gender Issues

Gender Issues: In the case of tea production, women do most of the harvesting work. Measures should be introduced by the project that will strengthen the control of tea revenues by women. In that respect, poor women heads of household will be selected on a priority basis as direct beneficiaries of component interventions and will represent no less than one third of the component beneficiaries.

Environmental Issues: The tea component is classified in category “A” because no significant negative environmental impacts are expected. In fact, there are likely to be substantial positive environmental impacts. The tea component, by providing a stable and more interesting price to smallholder tea growers will contribute to re-establishing good tea husbandry, which will help restoring the potential role of tea bushes in soil conservation. The project funded extension services provided to smallholder tea growers will include the standard recommendations of MINAGRI with respect to soil conservation and anti erosion techniques. A higher household income, resulting from the project interventions, and the guaranteed credit scheme (see PDCRE Appraisal report), are expected to remove some of the farmers’ income and cash-related constraints for adopting such practices.