Kenya's CASCADE Project Empowers Women in Farming and Nutrition

A project in Kenya is helping women take a bigger role in improving family nutrition and farming. The CASCADE initiative, run by CARE Kenya and GAIN, has reached nearly 100,000 women with training on breastfeeding, food safety, and diet diversity. At the same time, it has strengthened local savings groups and boosted climate-smart farming skills.

The CASCADE project has worked with 314 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), helping them save nearly Ksh 8 million. Around 80% of loans from these groups now go toward farm supplies and nutrition-focused businesses. Over 3,000 farmers—two-thirds of them women—have also received training in climate-resilient farming techniques.

Structured discussions in savings groups encourage men and women to rethink traditional power roles. These sessions push for shared decision-making, particularly around food and household spending. Yet systemic barriers remain: women still struggle to access land, credit, and cooperative memberships, limiting their influence over family diets. While women often lead food production and childcare, restrictive social norms and financial constraints hold them back. Their participation in farming cooperatives and advocacy groups stays low, with funding for grassroots efforts relying heavily on donor support. Experts argue that lasting change will need coordinated action from governments, businesses, and NGOs. The project highlights the importance of women-led organisations in driving local change. But to make progress stick, development programmes must treat gender equity as central—not an afterthought—in reshaping food systems.

The CASCADE project has shown how targeted training and savings groups can empower women in agriculture and nutrition. With nearly 100,000 women reached and millions saved locally, the model offers a blueprint for wider adoption. Yet closing gaps in land rights, credit access, and cooperative membership will require broader systemic shifts.