Summary
A strong agricultural practice is essential to boosting gross domestic product (GDP), reducing poverty, improving food security, and achieving structural transformation across Africa. However, this paper argues that Africa’s agricultural intensification has not kept pace with that of other developing regions. The report finds that one significant and costly inefficiency undermining the region’s progress is the pervasive gender gap in agricultural productivity. This gender gap represents not only a substantial impediment to growth in the agricultural sector but also a forgone opportunity to increase national income and reduce poverty at the regional level. The paper argues that establishing a clear understanding of the gender specific constraints hindering the productivity of women farmers is crucial. This paper develops a conceptual framework for thinking about the gender gap in agricultural productivity, reviews evidence on the effectiveness of policies and interventions designed to address the constraints faced by women farmers and proposes a research agenda to move the policy debate forward.