Our Gender Approach
Gender equality is not just a goal but a critical factor in achieving sustainable agricultural transformation. Women play a pivotal role in African agriculture, yet they face substantial barriers, from limited access to resources and knowledge to systemic discrimination. Addressing these challenges, KCOA incorporates gender-sensitive, gender-responsive, and gender-transformative measures into its framework.
Our gender approach is guided by tools such as the Reach-Benefit-Empower Principle and the Gender Equality Continuum, which ensure that women are not only included in project activities but also benefit meaningfully and are empowered to lead. Through targeted measures, we aim to dismantle the structural barriers that limit women’s participation and create pathways for their leadership and decision-making in agriculture.
From tailored training programs and inclusive knowledge products to advocacy initiatives that challenge harmful norms, our efforts are designed to build a more equitable agricultural landscape. The project’s gender guide serves as a living document, offering practical tools and recommendations to strengthen gender equality in every phase of implementation.
Join the network in building a future where organic agriculture thrives on the contributions of all genders. Together, we can drive the systemic change needed for resilient and just food systems.
The guide to promoting gender equality:
an unique approach to strengthening women's participation in the agricultural sector
The participation of women and girls in the agricultural sector in Africa is a crucial issue, for the simple reason that they are key players in food security. World Bank figures show that almost 2/3 of women in Africa work in the agricultural sector. However, the ability of women and girls to contribute to the development of a resilient, efficient and sustainable agricultural system is severely compromised by gender-based challenges and discrimination. And although these challenges are known, very few policies or programmes have been developed to explicitly address them. As a result, gender inequality in African agri-food systems is perpetuated. To help reduce this gap, GIZ, in collaboration with the five gender focal points in the five regions of Africa (North, Central, East, West and Southern Africa), have co-created this guide, which provides practical tools, guidelines and case studies to identify and address the root causes of gender inequality in the agricultural sector.
The guide to promoting gender equality is a 52-page document divided into two parts. The first part, entitled Methodological and theoretical approach, focuses on the process that led to its creation. In concrete terms, it highlights the way in which the gender focal points of the five African hubs organised themselves jointly with the GIZ-KCOA team to understand the gender equality context in 15 African countries and to formulate clear actions to address the challenges and systemic discrimination faced by women and girls in the agricultural sector in Africa. This first part also discusses the theoretical approach chosen to frame the actions of the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa (KCOA) project in terms of gender equality. More specifically, these are the gender equality continuum and the Reach-Benefit-Empower approach, two approaches that not only aim to enable women and girls to participate in and benefit from all the project’s activities, but also seek to track down the root causes of inequalities in order to transform agri-food systems.
The second part of the guide brings together a set of measures designed to promote and transform gender norms. There are 87 gender-related measures to address women’s needs and priorities at each stage of the KCOA’s implementation process, from design to implementation to monitoring and evaluation. It also highlights the obstacles likely to prevent the promotion of gender equality in specific contexts and how the measures developed could help to overcome them. This section also provides a range of resources, literature and know-how on gender issues and links to them.
Ultimately, the guide to promoting gender equality appears to be a unique tool for promoting equality and transforming gender norms in the agricultural sector in Africa. Based on its recommendations, farmers’ organisations, women’s rights movements and networks, etc. can put in place specific programmes to strengthen women’s skills, improve their access to agricultural inputs, financial services and markets, and promote their full participation in decision-making bodies.
Carole Fopa
KCOA Gender Expert
Introducing our Gender Guide
Our Gender Guide is a practical resource developed to address the barriers women face in agriculture and to promote gender equality across all aspects of the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology project. It outlines actionable measures, tools, and case studies designed to ensure women are not only included but also empowered to lead and benefit from sustainable agricultural practices.
Covering theoretical frameworks like the Reach-Benefit-Empower Principle and the Gender Equality Continuum, the guide provides insights into creating gender-sensitive, responsive, and transformative approaches. It also includes recommendations for advocacy, training, and knowledge sharing to drive systemic change in agricultural systems.
For a deeper understanding of our gender approach and how it can be implemented, download the guide below.
