SDG 5: Gender Equality
CARE’s Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) is a hands-on, learning-by-doing extension approach and key implementation model for She Feeds the World. Women farmers meet regularly during the agricultural cycle to experiment on group-managed demonstration plots and learn new farming techniques to adopt in their own fields. FFBS also helps women farmers build the collaborative skills necessary to become successful businesspeople, such as accessing inclusive markets and selling at competitive prices.
One of the most powerful tools in the FFBS approach, however, is the facilitation of dialogues between men and women on issues such as workload differences, land rights, gender-based violence, and control over resources and income. By creating safe spaces for these conversations, CARE helps families address imbalances that hinder well-being and prosperity.
What starts as simple dialogue leads to behavior and norm change, a critical component of sustainability. For instance, in many communities where CARE works, fetching water is considered a woman’s responsibility. It can mean walking long distances, frequently alone; and as climate change exacerbates dry seasons, women must travel further, putting their personal safety at greater risk and reducing their productivity in other areas.
