Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN)

About Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN)

Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) is a women-led international membership network of over 1200 women and men professionals and women’s associations.

In 2014 WOCAN developed the W+ Standard™, a unique certification label that measures and quantifies development and climate projects’ impacts on women’s empowerment in six areas: Time, Income & Assets, Leadership, Education & Knowledge, Health, and Food Security. The measurement of progress on women’s empowerment is verified by an external auditor, and results in W+ units – a quantifiable and realized improvement in a woman’s life. These units can be sold to individuals and organizations who want to support women’s empowerment and at least 20% of the revenue from the sales is given to women’s groups engaged in the project.

WOCAN has joined the ASI to provide more awareness of the gender-related aspects of the industry, and seek ways for their more equitable engagement.

- Jeannette Gurung, Executive Director, WOCAN