The $1 Trillion Opportunity: 10 Facts About the Women Growing the Future

Picture a family farm. If you are looking at a farm in sub-Saharan Africa, you are likely looking at the results of a woman’s labor. She is often the first one awake and the last to rest, balancing the roles of provider, mother, and entrepreneur. Yet, for too long, her contributions have been treated as "normal" or "invisible" within the global food system. 

Women’s access to land, credit, and technology lags behind men’s. And women also carry a higher burden of unpaid care (household tasks, child-rearing, etc.), which makes it more difficult for them to receive education and training. 

As we continue to celebrate the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer, we are looking past the surface to the data that defines her reality: not just the barriers women face, but the massive opportunity that exists when we finally decide to prioritize them. 

1. Investing in Women is a Global GDP Multiplier. 

Closing the gender gap in farm labor, productivity, and wages isn't just a matter of fairness – it's a global economic imperative. Doing so could increase global GDP by nearly $1 trillion. 

2. The 45 Million Person Shift 

Closing these gaps would reduce the number of food-insecure people in the world by 45 million. This is a systemic shift that would bring stability to communities at a time of growing global hunger. 

3. The Backbone of Local Markets 

In Ghana alone, women produce 70% of food crops and perform 90% of the labor associated with marketing those crops. Extrapolated to the world, we can clearly see that women are not just growing the food; they are maintaining their local economies and supporting their neighbors. 

4. Agriculture as the Primary Employer 

In countries like Malawi, 72% of all women are employed in agriculture. For the vast majority of women in the communities we serve, the farm is the primary source of life and livelihood. 

5. The Hidden Land Gap 

Despite their labor, women formally own less than 15% of land in sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, that number is even more startling: women hold less than 1% of registered land titles in their own names. Obtaining a formal land title is one of the most critical barriers to accessing financial services. Shifting this statistic would allow women farmers to access credit and invest in their farms. 

6. Left Out of the Conversation 

Only 7% of women farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have access to agricultural extension services (training and information). Furthermore, in Ghana, only 17% of the extension workers themselves are women, creating a "knowledge gap" that often leaves female farmers behind. 

7. The Credit Deficit 

Women farmers receive less than 10% of smallholder farmer credit. Despite the barriers placed on them, research shows women are often better borrowers than men, demonstrating repayment rates at up to 17% higher than those of men.  

8. The Productivity Gap 

There is a 24% productivity gap between men and women farmers globally. In Malawi, this gap is as high as 38%. This gap isn't due to a lack of skill, but a lack of access to inputs like fertilizer, quality seeds, and tools. 

9. Diversification as Strategy 

Women farmers are master diversifiers. For example, client Martha in Malawi doesn’t just farm; she is a tailor, an oxcart owner, and a dairy farmer. This isn't just "keeping busy"; it is a sophisticated risk-management strategy to protect her family against climate shocks. 

View more stories of women farmers diversifying their incomes here.  

10. The Agency Effect: Decisions at Home 

When women are supported through programs like GROW, the impact is immediate at the household level. Since 2019, 99% of women clients in our program reported having greater decision-making power in their homes. 

Supporting women means everyone benefits. School fees are paid more often, families have better nutrition, communities experience more cohesiveness and greater outputs. The benefits are endless. 

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Why We GROW 

These facts show us that women farmers aren't waiting for a handout. They are waiting for an opening. Through our GROW (Guaranteeing Rural Opportunities for Women) strategy, we are working to rewrite the rules of rural access. 

When women farmers grow, families thrive, and the future grows stronger for us all.