The Women in Agricultural Development Directorate (WIAD), is one of the seven Technical Directorates of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).
Vision
A highly competent public institution transforming livelihoods and promoting the wellbeing of especially women in the agricultural sector.
Mission
To develop effective policies that promote delivery of improved technologies and information on agricultural production and post-production in an environmentally sustainable manner.
FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTORATE
- Formulate Policies and programmes to meet the needs of women farmers and processors
- Co-ordinate operations of regions and district WIAD Officers to ensure appropriate extension technologies/messages to reach women farmers and processors.
- Backstop regional and district WIAD Officers through training, development of educational material and training manuals.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of extension staff in their delivery of WIAD programmes and to determine the impact of these programmes on the lives of rural, urban and sub urban dwellers.
- Liaise with research and extension to analyze women specific challenges in the sector and seeking solutions to them as well as carry out new product/recipe development and sensory evaluation on new crops.
- Develop intra and inter sectoral collaboration for development of policies, programmes and projects that enhance the livelihoods of women farmers, processors etc.
The Directorate has four Units namely:
- Nutrition: Food based nutrition education in relation to food production and diet improvement.
- Value addition: Food processing and preservation
- Food Safety: markets and processing and urban peri urban agricultural (UPA) production sites
- Gender mainstreaming of all agricultural policies, programs and projects