Women are the backbone of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, making up 66% of the workforce in agrifood systems. They till the land, plant seeds, harvest crops, and bring food to markets sustaining families and communities. Their efforts support a sector that contributes about 21% of the region’s GDP.
Women also play a key role in climate change adaptation, having traditionally embraced sustainable agriculture practices and preserving crop biodiversity. However, rural women remain more vulnerable to climate change due to a lack of assets and advisory services. This is particularly true in Eastern Africa, where droughts, floods, and shifting weather patterns threaten food security and productivity.
Despite producing most of the food consumed by households and sold in local markets, women face several challenges that prevent them from fully benefiting from the agricultural sector. One major barrier is limited access to land. In many African countries, women own less than 20% of agricultural land due to customary laws restricting their ability to inherit, purchase, or control land. This limits their investment potential and access to financial resources such as loans, which often require land as collateral.
Women also face financial constraints, with limited access to credit, loans, and financial services needed to purchase inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and machinery. Gender biases in financial institutions and a lack of collateral further restrict their investment in agriculture. Additionally, limited access to modern farming technologies and agricultural extension services hampers their ability to adopt new farming techniques and improve productivity.
An education gap exacerbates these challenges. Nearly 60% of girls in Eastern and Southern Africa miss out on secondary education due to early marriage and teenage pregnancy, leaving many women without the skills needed to improve farming techniques and access better economic opportunities.
The burden of household responsibilities is another challenge. Women spend significant time on tasks like gathering water, collecting firewood, managing household chores, and providing care. These demands leave little time for training, productive activities, or community involvement, limiting their full participation in the agricultural sector.
Poor infrastructure, such as limited access to markets, transportation, and storage facilities, further complicates women’s ability to sell products at fair prices and increases their daily workload. Traditional gender roles also restrict women’s participation in decision-making at the household, community, and national levels, limiting their control over agricultural production and economic activities.
In recent years, significant commitments have been made to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems. Countries pledged to implement reforms granting women equal rights to economic resources, including ownership and control over land, property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources. Global initiatives promoting gender equality in agrifood systems through strategic financing, partnerships, and targeted investments have been launched.
Despite these commitments, gender gaps persist in land ownership, access to resources, and decision-making power. Various initiatives led by international and national development actors, along with women-focused organizations, aim to drive gender-transformative projects and ensure equal access to resources. However, progress has been slow, highlighting the need for more targeted action to dismantle the systemic barriers women face in agriculture.
To empower women farmers and unlock their potential, closing gender gaps in land, finance, technology, and extension services is crucial. Strengthening legal frameworks to secure women’s land rights and reforming financial systems to improve access to credit, especially in rural areas, are essential. Investing in girls’ education, expanding access to technology and training, and improving infrastructure will help women boost productivity and balance agricultural work with family responsibilities.
Women’s limited participation in agricultural decision-making often prevents them from influencing policies at the community, regional, and national levels. Addressing these gaps is critical for achieving gender equality and driving economic and social progress.
Empowering women farmers will enhance agricultural productivity, raise rural incomes, and increase resilience to climate change key factors for sustainable development. Strengthening their involvement in agricultural markets and cooperatives will provide more opportunities for income generation and greater control over their produce.
Investing in women farmers is investing in the region’s future. Closing gender disparities in agricultural productivity and wages could boost global GDP by one per cent and reduce global food insecurity by two per cent, lifting millions of people out of hunger. Ensuring equal access to resources, services, and markets will help women drive rural transformation, improving household incomes, education access, and health outcomes.
This year’s International Women’s Day has highlighted the urgent need to close gender gaps and promote inclusivity. Achieving a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world requires recognizing and valuing the vital contributions of women farmers. By empowering women and ensuring equal access to resources, sustainable development can be fostered, creating a future where all African women thrive. The time to act is now.
