Sudden drought, floods, and other extreme weather changes gravely affect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Weather fluctuations make vulnerabilities more difficult to plan for, let alone overcome. Unfortunately, these extreme weather variations also impact women more than men.*
International institutes and individual country governments are beginning to respond to this “asymmetrical” effect on women. For example, the Paris Agreement includes gender equality as a guiding principal, and forty countries have explicitly integrated gender into their nationally determined contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement. However, consider this fact: there are only 28 countries in the world that have equal land rights for women and men. This is in spite of research that shows women’s access to land is paramount to a nation’s food security.
Large-, medium-, and small-sized businesses are also contributing more and more to women’s equality in agriculture. They are recognizing the benefits women bring to their companies and to the social well-being of the communities where those companies operate. Below are three examples of companies that are explicitly focusing on women to find success in business and build progress towards social equality.
Before you read on, think of a few things your company is doing or could do better to explicitly integrate gender issues within your operations. What will you do to make it happen, and how can others help? Let us know in the comments section below!
- Stewards Globe, a woman-owned company in Zambia, produces and sells certified seed varieties of groundnut, soybean, common bean, sunflower, and cow pea. In a country where the seed market is dominated by companies producing maize seed, Stewards Globe represents the first commercial supply of these food crop seeds that finally meets the growing demand among farmers. Stewards Globe uses an outgrower scheme – outsourcing production to smallholder farmers – and a marketing strategy that increases awareness of its brand through demonstration plots, field days, and promotional materials. It is working to have the majority of its outgrowers be women farmers.
- Solar Sister, also a women-owned company, operates in three countries - Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Its team of business development associates trains and advises women solar entrepreneurs. It also taps into the social network of the solar entrepreneurs to distribute solar energy solutions to the “last mile” of rural women.
- Export Marketing Company Limited (EMCL) in Mozambique identified and selected 38 women entrepreneurs, training them on business management skills for marketing and sales of agriculture inputs and mechanization services. EMCL also equips the women entrepreneurs with technical expertise about the products and services, helping them to increase sales and thus income.
Importantly, the examples above are also creating community-level changes through business solutions. Smart business contributes to social and economic equality and stronger markets – tell us how your business is part of the solution!
* Read more here and check out more from the John's Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies Global Women in Leadership work!