Women account for nearly 40 per cent of the over 916 million people working in agri-food systems globally. [iStockphoto]
Imagine an Africa where all farmers have equal access and control of land, finance, mechanisation, knowledge and freedom to make key agricultural decisions. Rural incomes would rise, livelihoods improve, and fewer families would go hungry.
Food systems would be more productive, and communities better equipped to withstand climate shocks. This is the kind of transformation Africa needs. Women account for nearly 40 per cent of the over 916 million people working in agri-food systems globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, they make up almost half of the agri-food systems workforce. Yet, women are more than just a labour force; they offer invaluable expertise, leadership and resilience.
Women are custodians of agricultural biodiversity. For generations, they have selected, preserved and exchanged seeds, safeguarding local crop varieties that sustain household nutrition and help farming systems adapt to climate change. They guide critical decisions on which crops are grown for sustenance and commercial markets.
Women also shoulder the “triple burden” of productive, reproductive and community responsibilities. Though they plant, weed, harvest, process and store crops, they also manage households chores. Despite their indispensable role, women continue to farm under profoundly unequal conditions.
Limited land ownership bars many women from using land as collateral to access credit, restricting their ability to expand agricultural enterprises. A recent Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in Ethiopia revealed:- “There is a dilemma with rented land. Why should I improve the soil with compost if the owner might take the land back next year? The full benefit of compost comes after three years.”- (FGD_Ejere_Enaftu_Women in Cooperatives).
Labour-saving technologies are barely made with women in mind, forcing them to spend long hours on physically demanding tasks that reduce productivity and limit opportunities for entrepreneurship. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity could increase global gross domestic product by nearly one trillion dollars while lifting 45 million people out of food insecurity. However, climate change is making these inequalities more costly. Prolonged droughts, floods and erratic rainfall continue to increase pressure on agriculture.
Fortunately, evidence shows what is possible when these barriers are removed. In Burundi, women now lead more than half of supported seed enterprises. In Zimbabwe, women-owned seed businesses have expanded significantly, while women’s participation throughout the seed sector continues to grow. In Kenya and Tanzania, women-led farmer groups are supplying structured markets with improved bean varieties, demonstrating that when women gain equal access to quality seed, technical support and markets, they thrive as commercial farmers.