Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

This report chapter outlines a conceptual framework for 'empowerment pathways' to transform gender relations in Sub-Saharan Africa's smallholder farming sector. It argues that sustainable change requires a multi-dimensional approach addressing individual agency, social and legal structures, and collective relations, while actively engaging men as allies to move from 'power over' to 'power with' dynamics.

• The report proposes 'empowerment pathways' to create permanent change in gender relations within smallholder farming, agricultural value chain development, and climate-smart agricultural practices, aiming to remove gender norms that restrict rational planning.
• Targeted projects that only improve women's business skills or agricultural training are often insufficient for long-term productivity if they do not also address access to productive assets, participation in community decision-making, and intra-household decision-making power.
• The framework for empowerment is based on three interconnected dimensions: agency (the ability to make and act upon choices), structure (both visible organizational/legal forms and invisible cultural norms), and relations (the ability to create and benefit from networks).
• Gender inequality in asset control persists because women's assets (such as small livestock and jewelry) typically have weak income generation potential, while men control higher-value assets like land and farming technologies (ploughs and sprayers) that directly impact productivity.
• Gender equality benefits men by improving their relationships with children and reducing the negative impacts of rigid masculinity norms, such as reduced health-seeking behaviors and loss of self-esteem associated with the traditional 'breadwinner' role.
• Effective transformation requires shifting the perception of gender work from a 'power over' approach—where men are seen as losing out—to a 'power with' approach, where men are enlisted as change agents who recognize that the whole community is stronger when all talents are used.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-Gender-Africa-book/SIANI-2013-Transforming-Gender-Relations-Chapter2.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-Gender-Africa-book/SIANI-2013-Transforming-Gender-Relations-Chapter2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-Gender-Africa-book/SIANI-2013-Transforming-Gender-Relations-Chapter2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendtransforming, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-Gender-Africa-book/SIANI-2013-Transforming-Gender-Relations-Chapter2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }