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Thank you for this inspiring exchange - generating so many great ideas, energies and passion around the topic of gender and agriculture. Having worked long in this space, it is especially encouraging to take not of the agreement that closing the gender gaps is essential for agriculture and societies to thrive. But also, that there are so many new young people bringing innovative solutions to the table.
We are delighted that the findings from our joint UN Women, UNDP-UN Environment Poverty-Environment Initiative and World Bank report costing the gender gap in agricultural productivity in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda (2015) are used as one basis for the e-discussion.
The report in its entirety shows that the poverty reduction effectiveness of interventions can be substantively improved when gender gaps are addressed. Indeed, these are important measures. In addition to the poverty reduction effectiveness results, closing the gap could bring about gross gains to GDP of $100 million in Malawi, $105 million in Tanzania and $67 million in Uganda—along with other positive development outcomes such as greater food security.
This data has been particularly important because it has strengthened our ability to negotiate with Governments and other actors that closing the gender gap also brings benefits to all, including to the sector.
Indeed, the report found that the gender gap in agricultural productivity is primarily driven by gender differences in access to (male) labor, to agricultural implements including pesticides and fertilizers as well as the fact that women farmers tend not to grow cash or high value crops. A similar exercise by UN Women and the Poverty-Environment Initiative in Rwanda (2017) arrived at similar conclusions. Women's limited access to labour is also linked to their increased involvement in unpid work (globally, women do 2.5 times more of that compared to men).
In Rwanda almost half of the gender gap in agricultural productivity is due to gender-based differences in access to productive inputs. In many instances, women farmers have lower levels of the water, improved seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and agricultural tools, including post-harvest technologies, needed for their farming livelihoods. At the same time, more than half of the gender gap in agricultural productivity in Rwanda was explained by gender-based differences in the returns that accrued to those productive inputs. In other words, in many instances, women farmers are paid less for their farm products than men.
Everywhere, as mentioned, women provide most of the unpaid care work in households and this holds back women’s productive engagement.
The main implication of the gender gap for women farmers is that they produced lower yields than their male counterparts with impacts on food security and suboptimal opportunities for economic empowerment. Indeed, our report fund that if the gender gap in agricultural productivity would be addressed in Malawi, crop production could increase by 7.3% improving incomes and food security for both women farmers, their families and communities as well as the nation as a whole.
Informed by the findings of the 2015 study and with technical inputs from UN Women and the Poverty-Environment Initiative, the Government of Malawi included a strong focus on women farmers in its recently adopted National Agricultural Policy (September 2016). The policy states that: ‘Closing the gender gap and addressing the socio-economic barriers faced by the youth has the potential to boost annual agriculture GDP’. This will be achieved by promoting access to, ownership and control of productive and financial resources and enhanced opportunities for entrepreneurship and participation in agriculture value addition. The policy also has a focus on enhancing investments in climate-smart agriculture and strengthens sustainable land, soil and water management including integrated soil fertility management, irrigation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity.
To reduce the gender gap in agricultural productivity women’s access to climate-resilient productive assets, technologies and skills as well as finances are needed supported by enabling social norms and practices. This will not only enhance women’s productivity but also reduce labour burdens as increased access to productive assets improves productivity and reduces the labour intensity of sustainable farming systems (UN Women, 2015).
UN Women is also currently implementing a pilot project in Kenya to increase the access to postharvest technologies for women in mango production. The project- embedded in the wider Rockefeller Foundation YieldWise Initiative- aims at providing a clear understanding of women’s needs, aspirations and other social and economic factors that influence acquisition of post-harvest and value addition technologies by women farmers. Improved access to technologies and their uptake are needed to address most of the bottlenecks that women face within agriculture to enhance their productivity through better storage and value addition.This is another promising area as we believe there can be a real breakthrough in rolling out technologies, once women's views, constraints, etc are brought into the design and roll-out.
The African Development Bank can play a particular role in promoting women farmers access to finance by for example working with Governments and its partners to establish specific and direct credit lines for women that bridge the gap women face in getting access to finance and spur investments in technologies, agricultural implements, and investments in infrastructure which has women’s concerns in mind, reducing unpaid work, providing energy and water, and financing post-harvest solutions and other technologies. It can also support partners to work to strengthen women’s capacities to also grow farming into business, including ability to harness new approaches, innovations, and financing.
Also, and currently, UN Women with PEI-UN Environment-UNDP want to roll out the Cost of the Gender Gap study in more countries, and deepen engagement around its findings. This can leverage new solution, both on the policy and programmatic fronts. Partnering and supporting this initiative, rolling out the methodology further and hence creating a critical stock of knowledge around gender and agriculture, could be another great opportunity.
Looking forward to continue working together -
Best regards,
Asa Torkelsson, Jacinta Okwaro UN Women, and Moa Westman, PEI-UN Environment- UNDP
Closing gender gap and opening the door to agricultural growth!
Soumis par Asa Torkelsson le dim, 25/06/2017 - 22:37 Permalien
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for this inspiring exchange - generating so many great ideas, energies and passion around the topic of gender and agriculture. Having worked long in this space, it is especially encouraging to take not of the agreement that closing the gender gaps is essential for agriculture and societies to thrive. But also, that there are so many new young people bringing innovative solutions to the table.
We are delighted that the findings from our joint UN Women, UNDP-UN Environment Poverty-Environment Initiative and World Bank report costing the gender gap in agricultural productivity in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda (2015) are used as one basis for the e-discussion.
The report in its entirety shows that the poverty reduction effectiveness of interventions can be substantively improved when gender gaps are addressed. Indeed, these are important measures. In addition to the poverty reduction effectiveness results, closing the gap could bring about gross gains to GDP of $100 million in Malawi, $105 million in Tanzania and $67 million in Uganda—along with other positive development outcomes such as greater food security.
This data has been particularly important because it has strengthened our ability to negotiate with Governments and other actors that closing the gender gap also brings benefits to all, including to the sector.
Indeed, the report found that the gender gap in agricultural productivity is primarily driven by gender differences in access to (male) labor, to agricultural implements including pesticides and fertilizers as well as the fact that women farmers tend not to grow cash or high value crops. A similar exercise by UN Women and the Poverty-Environment Initiative in Rwanda (2017) arrived at similar conclusions. Women's limited access to labour is also linked to their increased involvement in unpid work (globally, women do 2.5 times more of that compared to men).
In Rwanda almost half of the gender gap in agricultural productivity is due to gender-based differences in access to productive inputs. In many instances, women farmers have lower levels of the water, improved seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and agricultural tools, including post-harvest technologies, needed for their farming livelihoods. At the same time, more than half of the gender gap in agricultural productivity in Rwanda was explained by gender-based differences in the returns that accrued to those productive inputs. In other words, in many instances, women farmers are paid less for their farm products than men.
Everywhere, as mentioned, women provide most of the unpaid care work in households and this holds back women’s productive engagement.
The main implication of the gender gap for women farmers is that they produced lower yields than their male counterparts with impacts on food security and suboptimal opportunities for economic empowerment. Indeed, our report fund that if the gender gap in agricultural productivity would be addressed in Malawi, crop production could increase by 7.3% improving incomes and food security for both women farmers, their families and communities as well as the nation as a whole.
Informed by the findings of the 2015 study and with technical inputs from UN Women and the Poverty-Environment Initiative, the Government of Malawi included a strong focus on women farmers in its recently adopted National Agricultural Policy (September 2016). The policy states that: ‘Closing the gender gap and addressing the socio-economic barriers faced by the youth has the potential to boost annual agriculture GDP’. This will be achieved by promoting access to, ownership and control of productive and financial resources and enhanced opportunities for entrepreneurship and participation in agriculture value addition. The policy also has a focus on enhancing investments in climate-smart agriculture and strengthens sustainable land, soil and water management including integrated soil fertility management, irrigation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity.
To reduce the gender gap in agricultural productivity women’s access to climate-resilient productive assets, technologies and skills as well as finances are needed supported by enabling social norms and practices. This will not only enhance women’s productivity but also reduce labour burdens as increased access to productive assets improves productivity and reduces the labour intensity of sustainable farming systems (UN Women, 2015).
UN Women is also currently implementing a pilot project in Kenya to increase the access to postharvest technologies for women in mango production. The project- embedded in the wider Rockefeller Foundation YieldWise Initiative- aims at providing a clear understanding of women’s needs, aspirations and other social and economic factors that influence acquisition of post-harvest and value addition technologies by women farmers. Improved access to technologies and their uptake are needed to address most of the bottlenecks that women face within agriculture to enhance their productivity through better storage and value addition.This is another promising area as we believe there can be a real breakthrough in rolling out technologies, once women's views, constraints, etc are brought into the design and roll-out.
The African Development Bank can play a particular role in promoting women farmers access to finance by for example working with Governments and its partners to establish specific and direct credit lines for women that bridge the gap women face in getting access to finance and spur investments in technologies, agricultural implements, and investments in infrastructure which has women’s concerns in mind, reducing unpaid work, providing energy and water, and financing post-harvest solutions and other technologies. It can also support partners to work to strengthen women’s capacities to also grow farming into business, including ability to harness new approaches, innovations, and financing.
Also, and currently, UN Women with PEI-UN Environment-UNDP want to roll out the Cost of the Gender Gap study in more countries, and deepen engagement around its findings. This can leverage new solution, both on the policy and programmatic fronts. Partnering and supporting this initiative, rolling out the methodology further and hence creating a critical stock of knowledge around gender and agriculture, could be another great opportunity.
Looking forward to continue working together -
Best regards,
Asa Torkelsson, Jacinta Okwaro UN Women, and Moa Westman, PEI-UN Environment- UNDP