Over a third of working women worldwide are employed in agriculture and food systems, playing a critical role in global food security. Despite this, female farmers receive less than 10% of agricultural loans, a persistent barrier to gender equality in agrifood systems. This is compounded in smallholder communities with patrilineal inheritance structures that can prevent women from owning land, therefore, lacking the security and decision-making power that comes with ownership.

Lilian Mramba is Regional Director, Africa at Grassroots Business Fund, where she manages the investment portfolio, business advisory, and impact measurement activities. She spoke to us about the gender finance challenges and opportunities on the continent in the wake of COVID, and the need for more rigorous analysis to prevent ‘genderwashing’.

If you take a quick glance at the agri businesses in West-Africa, what you see is a male dominated sector. Typically, financiers look at who sells the commodities (men), who is registered as owner of the land (men). and who is more likely to have a full-time written contract (men). It’s as if women do not exist in the agri value chains. But the opposite is true.