Women play a key role in food security they are the backbone of the rural economy especially in the developing world. Empowering and investing in rural women resulted in significant improvements in productivity and rural livelihoods. Rural women do not have the same access to these employments opportunities as men. It’s time to bridge the gender gap because it will boost the productivity of agriculture. Are you a Non- Profit Organization desired at empowering women to make them self-reliant? This Sample proposal will provide Income and Employment Generation opportunities to The Rural Women through Training and establishment of Low Cost Processing and Preservation Centre of Horticulture Produces in rural area of Nigeria intended to set up community based fruit processing and conservation centre on pilot basis with in selected villages of Nigeria to enhance food-security and provide income generation opportunity to the rural women of Nigeria, the centre will also provide technical know-how and marketing linkages to the rural women on low cost processing and preservation of locally produced fruits and vegetables for self and commercial use. By establishing this centre rural folk can convert their low grading fruits and vegetables into processed fruit products which will fetch good prices in the market after processing. This sample proposal will surely lend you help in promoting women’s advancement.
Background
The major fruits produced in Nigeria include mango, pineapple, plantain/banana, citrus, guava, pawpaw, while vegetables include onion, tomato, okra, pepper, Amaranthus, carrot, melon, Hibiscus sabdariffa (sobo), Adansonia digitata (baobab leaves) etc. In Nigeria, enormous quantities of fruits and vegetables are produced and staggering figures are sometimes given as estimated annual production.
Fruits and vegetables play a very important role in nutrition and health especially as they contain substances which regulate or stimulate digestion, act as laxatives or diuretics, pectin’s and phenolic compounds which play a part in regulating the pH of the intestines. Fruits and vegetables also contribute to the income of both the rural and urban dweller.
The rural population, who produce more than 70% of the food eaten in Nigeria, are disproportionately poor and face malnutrition and disease. Both the government and the private sector, which should drive the sector through consistent policies, robust funding and infrastructure development, have failed to accord this problem the priority it deserves.
Moreover, the anticipated benefit from trade liberalization has failed to trickle down to the African farmer, coupled with the inefficient local marketing systems. In absence of proper storage and processing system at village level lot of fruits and vegetables produce are get rotten which causes financial losses to growers.
Purpose
The proposed project intended to set up community based fruit processing and conservation centre on pilot basis within selected villages of selected regions in Nigeria to enhance food security and provide income generation opportunity to the rural women, centre will also provide technical knowhow and marketing linkages to the rural women on low cost processing and preservation of locally produced fruits and vegetables for self and commercial use.
By establishing this centre rural folk can convert their low grading fruits and vegetables into processed fruit products which will fetch good prices in the market after processing.
This common facility centre will also work as a training cum production unit which will be linked with other semi processing units of rural fruits and vegetable growers, they will bring their semi processed fruits products to this centre to make them finished products for commercial use.
Women and youth will be trained on processing of fruits and vegetables which will lead them to make fruit products like mango squash, lemon squash, banana shakes, pickles, jam, jelly, banana chips, fruit candy, to, ginger and onion paste, garlic paste, tomato puree and many more items.
Centre will also act as facilitators to develop and build marketing linkages with other organizations for sale of finished fruit products, a detailed market research will be also done by centre on the customer feedback on quality and flavours of products for the development of new flavours and products.
Goal and Objective
Goal: Promoting food security and enhancing Nigerian women’s income through fruits & vegetable processing and Generation of self-employment employment opportunities at local level
Objective:
The main objectives of the project are as below:
- To build capacity of community on efficient storage, processing and packaging of produce for domestic and commercial use.
- To augment the income of small grower families through value addition to their products.
- To train the selected beneficiaries particularly women in processing semi-processing and preservation of horticultural products.
- To establish a fruit processing nodal production facility and satellite units with decentralized functions.
- To establish market linkages for the sale of the products.
- Thus, to achieve and establish a full-fledged production centre which is sustainable and viable.
- To enhance entrepreneurial attitude among the rural community.
- Promoting low cost fruit processing units to contribute in sustainable rural development.
Project Strategy
The processing and preservation technology aims at setting up, operating economically viable, and self-sustaining Science & Technology based rural Industries for and by weaker sections as close to the source of raw materials as possible so as to generate income employment upgrade skill/ capabilities and added value to local produce, promote local markets for such products/services, reduce wastage and otherwise promote benefits to weaker sections, particular and overall economy in general.
It also envisages a network of small growers and other weaker sections around these rural Industries with Science & Technology field agencies and CETS which while participating in production and marketing would provide the necessary technical supervisory/managerial inputs and provide linkages with the Marketing infrastructure.
Advantage
The following are the advantage of the processing and preservation of horticultural produces:
- It has a longer shelf life for marketing as well as for self-consumption.
- It is low in weight and thus can easily be transported.
- The consumers find it very convenient.
- There is little or in fact no nutrient loss.
- Added value for horticulture and agro produces.
Condition for Applicability
The following conditions are to be kept in view before initiating the project on processing and preservation of horticulture produces:
- There should be at least 50 small farmers engaged in growing fruits and vegetables.
- Proper transportation facilities at the satellite units for speedy delivery of the fruits and vegetables to Nodal centre.
Proposed Activities and Methodology
Through field investigation should be conducted prior to the project in order to establish the feasibility and finalize the product range. At the outset a suitably located Nodal Centre will be set up with all infrastructural facilities. A core team will be also selected, which must include at least one person with appropriate qualification in food processing technology. This core team will be trained by a resource agency and then further field level training at the nodal centre by the core team will be imparted. A network of small growers will be established, who will supply the local produce to the nodal centre. At a later stage, some of the semi processing functions will be decentralized to satellite units located at appropriate locations. The final product will be marketed by a grower-marketing network cooperative. The Resource Agency/Science & Technology experts will provide the necessary assistance and technical back up. By the end of the project duration, a full-scale production cycle will be operationalized on the profit base.
System Design
The System design envisaged for processing and marketing of horticultural and agro products:
- A network of women from grower families who collect the products and do preliminary processing like sorting, peeling etc. at the household level.
- A village or group of village level satellite units who will undertake semi processing and preservation of the material provided by the previous individual level.
- The processing unit at the Nodal level will receive the semi-processed material from the satellite units. Appropriate training to the village level worker and local SHG members will be imparted on fruit and vegetable processing & preservation. Besides major packaging of the products, marketing aspects of the processed product is done at this Centre.
- Nodal Centre will take up the overall organization of the production centre. Large scale marketing other management aspects such as training of workers in quality control and in production supervision will be undertaken here finally the Research & Development work would be carried out at nodal centre level. The Field groups at nodal centre level will be involved in establishing linkage with marketing outlets.
Work Plan
Duration time schedule for each of the project activities:
The duration of the project is for two years. The activities scheduled for the project are as follows:
ACTIVITY MONTHS FROM START
Preparatory work 3rd Month
Selection of Core Team
Identification of site
Networking of growers 4th Month
Participation of women growers
Workers/other beneficiaries
Training of personal 6th Month
Field level trainings for preservation/processing/drying etc
Trial production and marketing 12th Month
Full scale production 14th Month
Self-reliance function of decentralize and nodal unit 18-24th Month
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Organization head of CETS will make frequent visits and will see the progress of the activities and interact with the beneficiaries and assess the progress, achievements and gaps and will take necessary action to fill these gaps.
For monitoring of the project, a monitoring and evaluation committee would be constituted consisting of the members. The committee will review the program after every three months.
Monthly progress reports on core performance indicators will be completed and analysed at organization level and all necessary support to smooth functioning of project will be provided by Management to project team to implement the project in most effective way.
Performance Indicator
- No of women trained on fruits and vegetable processing.
- No of rural fruits and vegetable growers linked with the project.
- No of semi processing unit was established.
- No of women started and took up semi processing and set up their own units.
- No of KG/Ton fruits processed in a year at centre.
- No of KG/Ton vegetables processed in a year at centre.
- No products identified and developed for processing.
- No training conducted on fruit processing.
- Amount of sale value of products by centre.
- No of women trained on packaging and marketing of fruits products.
- Sale value of processed fruit products sold by women.
- Cooperative formed.
- Quantity of finished products sold in a year.
- Total Sale value of Finished products in a year
- Total amount of raw material purchased from network of growers.
Sustainability
The proposed project is fully sustainable, after the project period the centre will be managed and run by the cooperative formed under the project and the cooperative will provide necessary marketing and technical support to the beneficiaries. The training of new beneficiaries and facilitation fees, minimum service charges will be levied to run this centre smoothly, apart from this the centre will also act as consultancy centre and will extend the technical knowhow to other organizations who will be willing to set up the fruit processing units in and around the regions.
Project Management Team/ Personnel
Project team will comprise following technical and managerial resources.
Project Result
Project is intended to produce following results
- More than 500 primary and 5000 secondary beneficiaries will be benefited from the project services.
- 500 women beneficiaries who will get training and started semi processing and linked with the centre will be directly benefited, while women beneficiaries who will supply fruits and vegetables to the centre as growers will be indirectly benefited from the project.
- Income of small grower families will be increased by selling processed fruits products as well as selling low grade raw products for processing, which normally waste and get rotten in absence of processing.
- A full-fledged fruit processing production centre which is sustainable and viable will be established.
- This will train and empower women participants to utilise their capacity to convert the raw fruits into processed products.
- Women will be trained and skilled to produce the fruits and vegetables products for commercial production.
- Nutritional status of family will be improved as family members can use fruit products for long period
- Promotion of low-cost fruit processing units
- Entrepreneurial attitude will be developed among the rural women community
- Community will be trained on efficient storage, processing and packaging of fruits and vegetable produce for domestic and commercial use.
