Agriculture remains essential to economic growth and poverty alleviation worldwide, specifically for many developing countries. Uganda’s agricultural sector is the backbone of the economy, employing over 68 percent of the population. In FY 2022/23, the sector contributed over 25 percent to the country’s GDP and 35 percent to export earnings [1]. According to the 2020 annual agricultural survey report, more (88%) female adults in farm households are engaged in agriculture than their male counterparts (78%).
Despite women making up more than 50 percent of the agricultural workforce, a significant gender gap in agricultural productivity (production efficiency) persists. This gap not only hinders economic growth but also perpetuates poverty and food insecurity, disproportionately affecting women and their families. Cultivating equality in agriculture is essential to bridging this gap and ensuring that women have equal access to essential resources such as land, credit, and technology. Specifically, women in agriculture, especially those in rural areas, face significant barriers to accessing essential resources such as land, credit, and technology compared to their male counterparts.[2] Traditional gender norms and discriminatory laws often limit women’s ability to own land, hindering their capacity to invest in productive assets.
Although the majority (61%) of the land in Uganda is acquired through inheritance or as a gift, for female-headed households, the land is mainly acquired through purchase. [3] They manage plots that are roughly 20-30 percent less productive. According to a report by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), given equal access to productive resources as men, women could potentially boost farm yields by 20 percent to 30 percent. Evidence from the 2019 Agricultural Survey report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics also reveals that only 31 percent of women living in agricultural households are owners or hold rights over the farmland they cultivate, compared to 49 percent of men.[4]. Without land ownership and secure land rights, women are often relegated to subordinate roles within the agricultural sector, unable to make independent decisions or access credit and financial services.
The gender inequality in access to productive resources has profound costs, affecting not only individual farmers but entire communities and economies. Women farmers often cannot achieve their full potential, leading to lower crop yields, reduced household income, and increased vulnerability to food insecurity. This undermines the well-being of women and their families and hampers the agricultural sector’s overall productivity and resilience. By failing to harness the full potential of women farmers, Uganda risks squandering valuable resources and missing out on opportunities for economic growth and poverty reduction. This gender gap in agriculture also has significant economic and social costs. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Uganda loses approximately USD 67 million annually due to the gender gap in agriculture. Moreover, although all Ugandans are susceptible to food insecurity, women are susceptible to its impacts because they carry out 80% of the nation’s small-scale subsistence farming and, comparatively, more women than males live below the poverty line [5].
To address the gender gap in agricultural productivity:
- Implementing gender-sensitive policies and programs is essential. This includes addressing land ownership and access, providing targeted training and extension services, promoting financial inclusion, and empowering women farmers.
- More targeted policies, especially in agriculture, should enhance women’s productivity because if women had equal access to their male counterparts, total agricultural output would likely increase. In addition, by cultivating equality in agriculture, Uganda can reap the benefits of a more equitable and productive agricultural sector.
- Invest in women farmers for a multiplier effect on the economy. This increase in productivity could lead to increased economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. Moreover, empowering women farmers can also have social benefits, such as improved health and education outcomes for their families.
Uganda can benefit from a more equitable and prosperous economy by investing in women farmers.
[1] https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/uganda-agricultural-sector
[2] https://odi.cdn.ngo/media/documents/ODI-YFLP-GenderAgriculture-Report-FINAL-14.05.2021_C6kOx3x.pdf
[3] Mpuuga, D., Bulime, E. W. N., and Ogwang, A. (2023). Gendred effects of Land ownership on household food security and welfare: Empirical evidence from Uganda.
[4] https://www.ubos.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/04_2022AAS2019_Report.pdf
[5] Burgin, H. R. (2021). Food insecurity among women in Uganda. Ballard brief. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=ballardbrief