Seventy-eight women running agricultural activities in 16 districts will receive equipment and services valued at about $650,000 dollars from Switzerland, Japan and UNDP. The support aims to strengthen their capacities in the field of sustainable agricultural practices and integrated energy efficiency, according to a press release issued by UNDP.
According to Andrea Cuzyova, UNDP deputy resident representative in Moldova, women are the backbone of rural economies. Their interest in adopting technologies that produce clean energy benefits their households, but also inspires the wider community to build resilience.
The support includes installation of photovoltaic panels, heat pumps, biomass boilers, solar collectors, the adoption of various energy efficiency measures in warehouses and production facilities. Purchases of energy-efficient equipment will be supported and so will other actions that contribute to increasing the energy autonomy of enterprises run by women.
Yoichiro Yamada, Japan’s ambassador to Moldova, noted that while women have always been involved in agricultural activities, they have not always been given the support and autonomy to turn them into businesses. “Times have changed and now, more than ever, we need to support female agricultural producers to ensure that they play an essential role in agriculture and global food security”.
From the resources provided by the Government of Japan, 32 women are being helped to increase the energy resilience of their businesses: 22 household agricultural producers will receive energy-efficient technologies and equipment worth up to US$5,000, and 10 small and medium-sized farms – worth $10,000 each.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation funds 46 of the total 78 project proposals. 30 of these, worth up to US$6,000, were submitted by women farming at the household level, and 16 proposals, worth up to US$18,000 each, by women running small and medium-sized farms.
Olivier Bürki, deputy director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, said that the joint initiative of the Swiss Cooperation Office and UNDP integrates solutions in various agricultural activities, such as growing vegetables and fruits, animal husbandry, orchards and many others. This support aims at long-term socio-economic recovery, energy security and energy transition for women-led enterprises in rural areas.
The beneficiaries were selected by UNDP through open competition. They are engaged in commercial agricultural activities at the household level, manage peasant households, individual enterprises, SRLs and business associations in the districts of Telenești, Ungheni, Șoldănești, Hâncești, Sângerei, Briceni, Orhei, Străseni, Criuleni, Dubăsari, Florești, Rezina , Cantemir, Causeni, Cahul, Taraclia. The mandatory own contribution represents 20 percent of the amount requested in the project proposal.
