With the right support, women farmers are improving their livelihoods. For Rehema Mgova, integrating trees into her farm has improved soil health, unlocked new income streams, and built resilience against climate shocks.
Allyship is not simply about being supportive. It is about creating new opportunities and an environment where the women colleagues we work with feel like they truly belong. Ultimately, this also ensures better outcomes for the farmers we serve.
Closing the gender gap starts with understanding it. Collecting and analyzing data helps us identify where disparities exist, uncover insights into farmers' different experiences, test solutions, and shape programs that deliver fairer outcomes for all.
Closing the agricultural digital divide is key to securing Africa’s food future. When women and youth farmers are prioritized in AgTech, adoption grows, resilience strengthens, and impact deepens.
Our direct-to-farmer services are intentionally designed to address the unique challenges farmers face. With strategies that encourage participation from both men and women, we are pleased to see that women make up more than 50% of our clients. In this piece, we highlight the approaches that make this possible and the strategies we are adopting to become more gender-sensitive
In this piece, Alexa shares how she fosters inclusion within her team and why this is crucial in shaping organizational culture.
Picture a farmer in Kenya sowing seeds of managu, an indigenous leafy green packed with nutrients her children need to thrive. Or a farmer in Rwanda planting cover crops to enrich her soil and protect against erosion. These small acts of resilience are happening against a backdrop of enormous challenges like degraded soils, and rising food insecurity.
At just 24 years old, Alphonsine Musanabera is redefining what it means to be a young farmer. In Rwamagana District, Rwanda, she’s not only breaking the cycle of intergenerational farming challenges but also creating opportunities for her community.
Female farmers like Alphonsine are essential to Africa's food production, yet they often lack the same access to resources as their male counterparts. If women had equal access to these resources, they could increase their farm harvest by 20–30 percent.
Eugine’s Asubila story is a testament to how smallholder agriculture is empowering women across Kenya – and sub-Saharan Africa – to become entrepreneurs by creating the means for them to set up new businesses.
On most days, you will find Esther Wangari tending to her farm, located deep in the heart of Kirinyaga County, in Kenya’s central highlands. Bordering her maize and beans fields, Esther’s latest passion – tree planting – thrives. For this Kenyan smallholder farmer, her new venture is more than just about planting trees; it is also about her livelihood and securing her family’s future.
Investing in women smallholder farmers like Jeanne D'Arc Mbanira is critical to significantly increasing agricultural productivity, food security, and household prosperity.
Women smallholder farmers like Hilder Ongeri typically invest more of what they earn back into their families and communities than their male counterparts. This has knock-on effects for the generations that follow.
Michelle, our Global Director for Government Relations and Policy, talks about her career, her journey to the top, the hurdles she’s overcome along the way, and why she thinks “good girls” can get the figurative corner office.
Pauline, who is one of our Regional Managers, talks about her career journey and success in a male-dominated field.
Women play a central role in African agriculture and do a substantial amount of work in food production, yet remain underrepresented in the sector.
Women farmers tend to invest more in their homes and families, thereby fuelling the prosperity of their communities.
Studies show when women have more money, they’re more likely to save and invest in their families. Yet, 29% of Kenyan women still can’t access basic financial services.
A first-hand insight into the harsh realities of the access challenge facing smallholder farmers in East Africa
The Women's Leadership Council trains our Kenyan team to succeed in both work and personal life.
