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Introduction
The Aniwa Gendered Market Chain Analysis is a coordinated research project co-funded by Leftemap Sista program, supported by Australian Aid and the Yumi Redi long Klaemt JenisnProgram, funded by PACAM, USAID.
CARE International in Vanuatu’s Leftemap Sista Project tackles underlying causes of gender inequality within Vanuatu society. CARE in Vanuatu works closely with governments and civil society partners to promote women’s and girls’ leadership, skills development and economic empowerment. This assessment was commissioned under the project’s outcome 2: Increased capacity of Women’s Economic and Livelihood (WEL) groups to advocate for their own economic and livelihood needs. The project component on economic empowerment links women with economic opportunities and markets and providing and brokering support to women’s livelihood groups. This gendered assessment of the Aniwa market, its industries, opportunities and challenges, aims to identify the current key markets and livelihood opportunities which are, or could be available to women. The report also aims to inform CARE programming in Aniwa and to support market players in the development of products and services to meet market needs.
In economies such as Vanuatu where high number of the population engage in farming as a livelihood activity the link between food security and livelihood is strong. In Tafea, 85% of the population are subsistence farmers. In CARE’s USAID/PACAM funded ‘Yu Mi Redi long Klaemet Jenis’ project there is a strong focus on resilience through agricultural practices. The potential for generating livelihood opportunities by selling excess produce highlighted the need to have a better understanding of the local market and opportunities that exist within the market.
This assessment analyses the Aniwa market as a whole with a gendered lens that allows roles and responsibilities of men and women in livelihood activities to be taken into consideration.
Summary of opportunities
Handicrafts, food preservation and small livestock projects all offer potential for economic projects which are gender sensitive. Local women are already skilled in weaving and produce high quality handicrafts. They produce mats, fans, baskets and traditional kastom costumes. There is also a small number of women on the island who are producing handicrafts by up-cycling items that would have otherwise been thrown away or burned as rubbish, including chip packets. The environmental conditions in Aniwa as well as the excess of key seasonal crops make for a good opportunity to preserve food. The island has a solar drier and stocks of seasonally available oranges and mangoes as well as manioc (cassava) and fish which are available all year round. A local market exists for diversification of protein source available which use limited space, either in meat or eggs, which makes small livestock, especially poultry projects viable. All three villages in Aniwa have had group run poultry projects in the past and two of the three villages have expressed strong a desire to restart these projects.