Transforming agroforestry through gender practice: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Around the world, the agricultural sector relies heavily on women, especially in developing countries, but women’s restricted access to essential resources, hinders their agricultural productivity, resulting in increased poverty. A promising solution to this is agroforestry, a climate-smart agricultural practice which increases land productivity, providing socioeconomic and ecological benefits. Women’s access to agroforestry, however, is constrained by gender disparities which favour men in terms of access to land, education, extension services, decision-making power, labour and financial resources. It is crucial that these obstacles be dismantled to enable women to participate fully in agroforestry, because they possess valuable knowledge and are often more willing than men to adopt climate change adaptation programmes. Recommendations for mainstreaming gender in agroforestry include collecting gender-disaggregated data, ensuring equal access to resources, promoting gender-inclusive training and education, implementing gender-responsive policies, fostering women's leadership and participation, raising awareness and challenging social norms. Put to action, these recommendations will challenge traditional gender roles and empower women as agents of change, creating an inclusive environment for sustainable agricultural development.