Investing in Women Farmers, a Key solution in addressing food insecurity and Poverty
Around the world, 815 million people suffer from hunger. That number could be significantly reduced if women farmers had the same rights and resources as their male counterparts, and were empowered to contribute fully to the food system.
In Cameroon, according to the WFP Around 16% of households are estimated to be food insecure (3.9 million people), including 1% that are severely food insecure (around 211,000 people) which means that they have limited or no access to sufficient, nutritious food that is required to live a healthy life. The regions of the Great North that have historically been exposed to issues related to food availability, access and utilization are still among the most food insecure, particularly the Far North (33.7% of food-insecure households), followed by Adamawa (15.4%) and Nord (15.3%). Surprisingly, the regions of North West and West also recorded high rates of food insecurity (respectively, 18.1% and 18% of households), most probably because of the Anglophone crisis that escalated in West affecting its neighboring regions.
Women are central to agriculture and make a strong contribution to food security and nutrition at both the household and community levels. In Cameroon like many developing countries, they make up almost half of the agricultural labor force, but their production is limited by barriers to finance, inputs, and extension services, as well as land ownership and rights.
Cameroon’s agricultural sector overall has the greatest potential in driving economic growth and reducing poverty and hunger. Yet, outdated agricultural practices, high post-harvest losses, fragmented markets and recurrent cycles of droughts and floods – shocks that have mainly affected the Sahelian regions – limit
the opportunities to break out of the poverty trap, while affecting the food security status of the population
Despite the situation, targeted and efficient actions can be taken to create better results in the sector. Such actions, however, need to learn from past mistakes and accepts to revamp exiting approaches by for instance deliberately being pro-women, putting women farmers first.
The Food Insecurity and Poverty Link…. And Women
If poverty in the western world has no direct linkage with food insecurity, in Africa, the foods insecure households are mainly does living under the poverty line.
For instance, according to the WFP, food security status in Cameroon varies with and within the regions. The Far-North – which is the poorest region, with 65.5% of households in the poorest wealth quartile – has the largest proportion of food insecure population (33.6%). With the proportion of households falling in the poorest wealth quartile ranging from 84.4% in Mayo-Danay to 45.3% in Diamaré, the divisions located in this region are also the poorest ones. Mayo-Tsanaga is the division with the most alarming situation: here the proportion of food insecure households is 65.6%; followed by Mayo-Sava (which had 37.8% food insecure households) and Diamaré, where, despite a lower proportion of households in the poorest quintile, 31.8% of
households are food insecure.
The same source says food security status varied according to key characteristics of the head of household, the higher the education level of the head of household, the
better the household’s food security status. Indeed, households whose heads are illiterate – followed by households whose head has only completed primary school – tend to be more severely and moderately food insecure than households whose heads completed secondary or higher education. Female-headed households are slightly more food insecure compared to male-headed households (18.4% vs. 15.4% of male-headed households). This means that the vast majority of food insecure households are female-headed ones. We, therefore, need to direct and increase our efforts on towards Women and girls if we want to create an immediate impact on poverty and food insecurity.
Overcoming Social and Cultural Barriers
For generations, antiquated norms have dictated the social structure of rural communities. Women farmers are often relegated to unpaid farm work and household tasks while men receive training, resources, and land. The patriarchal system of passing a farm down to a son means males continue to have greater influence and power within agriculture.
The only way to break this pattern of succession is to incite parents to encourage their daughters and wives to take over the farm. That’s why AGRI-INVEST provide an interest-free loan only to women farmers. This Measure taken by AGRI-INVEST goes beyond the financial aspect and most importantly result in the transfer of skills and knowledge to rural women and daughters.
Financing Women in Agriculture
Women farmers are at a disadvantage because they often don’t have the resources to satisfy the stringent banking requirements. Without better access to suitable financial services, including credit, savings, and insurance, women in agriculture will continue to lag behind. Microfinance institutions and other financial services providers with a presence in rural areas can play a key role in closing the gender gap by allocating resources specifically to women farmers and targeting gender-based barriers.
Women are the backbone of most developing countries and it is beneficial to a country’s economy to empower women in agriculture. Financial institutions are very important to this movement. They can create special programs that will encourage existing female farmers and target potential female farmers to invest in the agriculture sector.
And these female farmers are the future. They are at the frontlines of climate change and they are advocates for nutrition. They are connecting and communicating through mobile phones, social networks, and community groups.
Women Farmers as Community Change Agents
Empowering Women Farmers will create a ripple effect impacting their families, and their communities at large. AGRI-INVEST’s model improves not only a woman’s household income, but also health, education and a woman’s status and control over resources.
Income allows women to contribute to household earnings, gain confidence, financial independence, and respect from their families, and play a larger role in household decision-making. From training and ongoing mentoring, women farmers under our program also gain important skills like marketing, financial management, communications, and technical product knowledge. As a result, women gain confidence and the ability to serve as role models and change agents in their communities.