Women and Agriculture

Women provide most of the agricultural labour in developing countries. Our support for both research and action to help improve rural livelihoods and the sustainable use of natural resources is increasingly focusing on the different needs of women and men.

A new project in Mozambique, for example, aims to increase household food security for poor people in Zambezia Province. Women are involved in farmer research groups, as community workers, and in a village banking scheme. Tools to ease the burden of labour-intensive farm work and reduce associated health risks to women are also being developed.

The Western and Eastern India Rainfed Farming Projects support women's practical needs, with tools, income generation, credit and savings schemes The strategic role of women in village institutions and the management of farming systems is increasingly being promoted.

We have also supported land reform initiatives, for example in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, which seek to secure women's rights to land ownership and inheritance.