Africa’s climate adaptation goals are under threat unless systemic barriers confronting women in agribusiness are addressed, warns a new report by NexGen Deutsche-Afrik (NEDEA), a policy-driven organization.
The report, The Gender Lens in Climate-Resilient Agribusiness, reveals that while women constitute approximately 76 per cent of the agrifood workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa, they remain the most vulnerable to climate shocks due to long-standing structural inequalities.
Among the major concerns raised in the report are the persistent gap in access to land ownership, financial services, modern farming technologies, and agricultural training.
The document uses Tanzania as a case study to illustrate how deep-rooted inequalities are undermining resilience.
In Tanzania, women make up 69 per cent of the agricultural workforce but own only 2 per cent of registered land.
“This imbalance affects access to technology, training, irrigation systems, and extension services all of which are critical for climate adaptation. The cumulative effect is that women-led agribusinesses often lack the financial buffers, productive assets, and institutional support to withstand climate shocks,” the report states.
The assessment emphasises that resilience in agribusiness is not only an environmental challenge, but also deeply social.
Women, who dominate agrifood systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, face the harshest consequences of climate change. As weather conditions become more unpredictable, women farmers—who typically operate on smaller plots with fewer resources, face higher risks of crop failure and income loss.
In some Sub-Saharan African countries, the gender gap surpasses 20 percentage points, limiting women’s incentive and ability to invest in climate-smart practices such as agroforestry, improved soil management, or precision irrigation.
Women agripreneurs experience high loan rejection rates due to lack of collateral and limited visibility in formal financial systems. The report identifies a US$96 billion gap in financing for Africa’s agri-SMEs, with women-led businesses experiencing the highest loan rejection rates.
On the digital front, women in Sub-Saharan Africa are nearly 30 per cent less likely to use mobile internet. This digital divide prevents them from receiving weather alerts, climate advisories, or accessing e-commerce, which are essential for climate-resilient operations.
The analysis highlights the burden of unpaid care work. Droughts and food shortages increase household responsibilities that fall disproportionately on women. This reduces their mobility, time for training, and ability to participate in adaptation programs.
The report also highlights under-representation in climate governance. Women are often excluded from decision-making forums, their specific needs and perspectives are absent from policy designs.
Addressing these barriers requires a holistic policy approach that integrates gender equality into climate and agricultural strategies, the report argues.
It calls for de-risked credit lines, legal reforms for land rights, and the inclusion of women in high-level climate governance.
The report concludes that empowering women in agribusiness is not only a matter of social justice but also a practical necessity for Africa’s climate adaptation goals.