Women Forward: Closing the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity

By Chloe Pan

While many traditional approaches to improving food security outcomes focus on addressing farmers’ agricultural knowledge and access to productive resources, they may not always use a gender lens to understand the different needs, challenges and capabilities of women farmers. As climate change continues to threaten global food security, it’s crucial to use an inclusive approach to programming that will close the gender gap in agricultural productivity and address the barriers faced by those who are most vulnerable.  

In developing countries around the world, women perform approximately half of the agricultural labor but produce 20-30% less than their male counterparts due to limited access to land, quality inputs, agricultural equipment and technologies, technical training and markets. As a result of gender discrimination in laws and customs in many of these countries, smallholder women’s ability to own assets, such as property, is also a barrier to accessing financial services and products that would help them invest in their production ability. Gender norms at the household level further limit women’s decision-making ability and agency in how their profits are used, what crops are planted, and what technologies are implemented, as men are often the final decision-makers. 

To address these concerns, Global Communities has partnered with Rick Steves’ Europe Climate Smart Commitment to implement our Women Forward design framework in the Mara region of Tanzania. Women Forward takes a gender transformative, integrated approach to climate resilient food and nutrition security programming, where we aim to address the multifaceted root causes to women’s decreased ability to participate and equally benefit from their work in food production. The framework also couples program activities and interventions with positive male engagement.

In Tanzania, we support women smallholder farmers in climate resilient food production and the development of market-based agricultural enterprises that enable them to sell certified, drought-tolerant maize and bean seeds. Our activities provide women farmers with training and technical support in business development and management, market entry, procurement and supply chain management, price negotiations, as well as in developing sustainable relationships with local agri-dealers to source improved seeds and fertilizers. These microenterprises will help ensure that other farmers in their community have sustainable access to climate smart agricultural inputs to boost food production and support women business owners’ income generation.  

To narrow the gender gap in productivity, Global Communities is also linking women farmers to government and commercial agriculture training in climate smart practices, including best practices for storage and post-harvest handling of crops. This education will help to reduce losses, increase the availability of maize and beans, and bolster food supply in their communities. As a result of our efforts, male partners of women farmers have recognized the benefits of women’s enhanced agricultural knowledge and actively support their continued participation. 

In observance of this year’s International Day of Rural Women, we are excited for the continued partnership we have with organizations like Rick Steves’ Europe, whose support is invaluable as we work to address systemic gender inequality in food systems and ensure that rural women are able to equally participate and benefit from their participation in agricultural labor.