
While women remain the backbone of small-scale agriculture, they continue to struggle with issues such as food insecurity, sexual harassment and low wages. (Image source: African Union)
To combat the challenges currently being faced by women farmers in Africa, a plethora of initiatives are being undertaken, with hopes of empowering these farmers and ensuring the transformation of the region's agricultural landscape
While women remain the backbone of small-scale agriculture, they continue to struggle with issues such as food insecurity, sexual harassment and low wages. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), women receive less than 10% of available agricultural credit, limiting their ability to purchase high-quality seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation equipment. The lack of collateral, restrictive banking policies, and financial illiteracy further hinder their ability to secure funding, leading to lower yields and poor crop quality.
Moreover, land ownership is another major hurdle. Studies show that only 15% of women in sub-Saharan Africa own land, reducing their ability to secure loans for expansion. This lack of ownership discourages long-term investments in soil improvement and productivity-enhancing innovations, keeping women in subsistence farming. Unstable markets further compound these issues.
To tackle these challenges, African Union Special Envoy for Food Systems, Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki advises women farmers to form or join cooperatives, which can help them collectively bargain for better prices, access bulk purchasing discounts on inputs, and eliminate exploitative middlemen. Cooperatives should also develop digital marketplaces and mobile trading platforms where women can connect directly with buyers, ensuring fairer pricing. Governments, NGOs, and financial institutions must design gender-responsive credit facilities, including collateral-free loans and microfinance programs tailored for women farmers. Expanding mobile banking and digital wallets to rural areas can facilitate transactions and savings. Additionally, financial literacy training should be introduced to help women understand budgeting, credit management, and investment strategies.
Advocacy efforts should focus on ensuring that inheritance laws are equitable and that women farmers have secure land tenure, enabling them to make long-term investments in their farms. Governments and private sector players should invest in structured market systems, including farmer markets, digital trading platforms, and cold storage facilities. Participation in regional agricultural exhibitions and trade fairs should also be promoted to connect rural women with larger markets.
To enhance cross-border trade opportunities, trade regulations should be simplified, and training on trade policies and export procedures provided. Setting up cross-border trade facilitation desks can offer guidance and protection against exploitation at borders. Preferential trade agreements for small-scale women traders should also be introduced to enhance their competitiveness in foreign markets. Governments should also expand women-focused agricultural extension programmes, leveraging mobile apps and radio-based training to reach remote areas. Peer-to-peer learning and mentorship programmes can also provide knowledge on best practices, innovative farming techniques, and climate-smart agriculture to improve productivity and resilience against climate change.