Women Empowerment holds the key to transforming Africa’s agriculture

By Amevor Aku Senam Rose

Women’s groups under the aegis of the African Working Group on Gender and Climate Change (AWGGCC) at the ongoing African Climate Change conference in Marrakech, Morocco have identified the increase in women’s access to productive resources such as land, credit, transfer and enhancement of indigenous technology as instrumental to transforming Africa’s agriculture.

Priscilla Achekpa of the Working Group decried the slow advancement and transformation of African women’s access to formal education and called on African governments to implement policies that support gender research and full documentation of impact of climate change on gender as well as build the capacity of women to participate in key decision-making processes.

Speaking during a side event on the theme “Using climate knowledge to empower women in the value chains. Towards transformation of Africa’s Agriculture”, Ruth Aura, a Kenyan Researcher, said while it was evident that there was no specific government policy on climate change that targeted women,she confirmed that if women were mobilized and trained they could influence Africa’s agriculture.

Ms. Aura shared a number of ‘Successful CSA Evidence Stories’ demonstrating how small-scale women dairy farmers profitably participate in the growing dairy industry, improving nutrition and increasing farmer income and access to markets.

According to Ms. Aura, women make up at least 80% of the farming labor force in Kenya, so if these women are trained, given the right tools, they can produce not only for subsistence but also for sale commercially.

With climate smart agriculture, women will be better placed to deal with the effects of variability and changes in climate, which affect agriculture, production and storage.

Women are most likely to be well equipped to engage in agriculture when information is sent to them in good time, and by the right means. This was the conclusion of a research study presented by during a side event that brought together the 2014 African Women Report (AWR) researchers and gender and climate knowledge and agricultural value chain nexus.

For Aissata Traore Thera, Plant pathologist at IER-MALI, women play an important role in the agricultural sector In Mali. They can be independent farmers, unpaid workers on family farms, suppliers of wage labor.

The sector also involves many stakeholders, including women and youth who are involved at all stages, from production to marketing. In the mango industry, women are mainly involved in two aspects: the supplying of mangoes to the exporters led by women “trackers” (40%) and the processing (95%).

It is important to note that knowledge dissemination to women will link them to market opportunities and empower them to overcome poverty and better face climate change.

African Women Researchers report that climate change is much more felt by vulnerable populations – made up of rural women, youth and children – because of their low purchasing power, low levels of education, and poor access to important information and innovations to adapt to climate change.

Women in agriculture therefore need to be informed about new technologies of processing, innovative equipment and renewable sources of energy. They need information to plan alternative activities when “farming” is not accessible.