Empowering women in Sub-Saharan Africa is not just a matter of gender equity; it is a crucial step toward achieving “Health for All, Hunger for None”
Article By Jorge Levinson – Senior Bayer Representative, Sub-Saharan Africa
Women play a significant role in the agricultural and health sector across Sub-Saharan Africa, yet they often face systemic barriers that limit their productivity and access to resources. By addressing these challenges and empowering women, we can unlock the Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural potential, improve food security, and enhance primary health outcomes for many communities.
Women are the backbone of Sub-Saharan African agriculture
In Africa, women contribute over 60% of the labour force in agriculture, particularly in food production. Despite their significant involvement, women farmers often have less than men access to resources such as land, credit, markets, and agricultural inputs including seeds and fertilizers. These disparities not only limit their productivity but also hinder the overall potential of the agricultural sector to contribute to food security and economic growth.
Empowering women farmers means providing them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. This comes in the form of assistance with financial services, education, and agricultural training. When women are offered the same opportunities regardless of gender, their agricultural output increases significantly, leading to higher food production and reduced hunger. Facilitating access to agricultural training “getting more with less”, providing training in business skills, and promoting women’s cooperatives, can help women move up the value chain and improve their income and food security.
Vital Link Between Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health
The connection between agriculture and health is profound. The crops that women farmers grow, the livestock they tend, and the food they produce are all directly linked to the nutritional well-being of their families and communities. In many African households, women are responsible for feeding their families and making decisions about what to grow, what to buy, and what to prepare. Empowering them to make these decisions with the right resources, can greatly improve the nutritional quality of food consumed by their families.
This empowerment also comes with a ripple effect on health outcomes. Studies have shown that when women have more control over resources, they are more likely to invest in the health and education of their children and their families as a whole. This leads to better health outcomes, including lower rates of malnutrition and improved child survival rates. Moreover, empowered women are more likely to adopt sustainable farming practices that protect the environment and promote long-term food security.
The Path Forward – A Collaborative Approach
Empowering women in Sub-Saharan Africa is essential to achieving the global mission of “Health for All, Hunger for None.” It is a path that requires concerted efforts from key partnerships between communities, governments, community-based organisations, advocacy organisations, and the private sector to promote activities that seek to encourage gender equality in agriculture and healthcare. Most importantly, the empowerment of women in the Sub-Saharan continent is not just an agricultural or health issue – it is a matter of equity and justice. When women have equal access to resources and opportunities, they become agents of change, driving progress in their communities and contributing to a world where health and food security are realities for all. Empowering women is a critical step toward a future where hunger is eradicated, and health is a fundamental right for every individual.
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