Innovations in Gender-Inclusive Climate-Smart Agriculture

Abstract

The purpose of this Innovations Paper is to identify examples of gender-inclusive climate-smart agriculture (CSA) being implemented by small and growing agribusinesses (SGABs) within East and Southern Africa, and beyond. This Paper complements Paper #1 (Gender Inclusion for Climate-Smart Agribusinesses: A practical framework for integrating gender in climate-smart agriculture) and Paper #2 (Influencing and Advocacy for Gender-Inclusive Climate-Smart Agriculture: A guide for small and growing agribusinesses), and aims to provide tangible reference points for businesses interested in taking a gender-inclusive approach to their CSA work.

The examples showcased in this Paper are intended to inspire and support SGABs to adopt the gender-inclusive practices outlined in Papers #1 and #2. Recognising that gender, business, and CSA are mutually reinforcing, the examples presented below primarily focus on business-level impacts, rather than those at the producer or environmental level (i.e. profit rather than people or planet).

This Paper begins by defining and identifying “innovations”. Next, it presents a deep dive into the African Women in Agribusiness (AWAB) model and strategies, followed by a selection of shorter case studies external to the Vuna programme that demonstrate additional examples of good practice. It then discusses key challenges, lessons, and recommendations for SGABs interested in implementing gender-inclusive CSA practices, before offering a brief conclusion.