Towards Increasing Women’s Contribution to Agricultural Production in Africa: A Review

Abstract

Women play a critical role in agricultural production in developing countries, not only in terms of their labour input, but also in terms of their decision-making authority. For example, women provide 70 percent of total agricultural labour in Africa and account for more than three-quarters of the food produced in the region. Yet, often women do not have access to the resources and services that would enable them to increase output. This, therefore, means that women farmers need help for increased agricultural productivity and sustained benefits for the wider economy. This paper identifies the constraints women farmers face and the measures by which these constraints can be addressed so as to raise the productivity of women farmers. Increasing the productivity of women farmers will contribute directly to higher output, improved household food security and welfare, and the revitalization of agriculture in Africa.