Keeping food on the table in Sub-Saharan Africa

Women are the backbone of agriculture and food production in Africa, supporting its population by producing 80% of its food. But African women farmers are excluded from conversations that determine agricultural policies, while discriminatory laws and practices deprive them of their land, their rights, and their livelihoods.

Global Fund for Women has helped to bring African women farmers to the center of these debates, most recently through the Rural Women Striding Forward initiative supporting women’s rights, agriculture, and advocacy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rural women in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Uganda received information, learned skills, and acquired networking opportunities – and as a result, they were able to provide more food for their families while advancing their human rights.

Learn more about the impact and results of the initiative in our Impact Report. The broad findings of the initiative provide a strong endorsement of Global Fund for Women’s approach: a commitment to providing unrestricted support to local women’s organizations that work directly with rural women.

KEY OUTCOMES

• 5-50% increase in crop yields.
• 30% increase in women’s income.
• 25% of women added one or more income-generating activities.
• The majority of households are now eating 3 meals per day.
• Women enjoyed more respect and became decision-makers in their homes.
• Women took on leadership roles in the community, joining village councils and forming advocacy networks.

In this video, you can hear the voices of the women who participated in the initiative, and learn more about the initiative and its impact.