Mercy Corps AgriFin convened a peer-to-peer learning session to foster a community of practice focused on designing and scaling gender-intentional solutions for women entrepreneurs in agriculture.
The Gender Learning and Knowledge Sharing Session brought together key stakeholders, including AgTech partners, multi-sectoral experts, donors, and solution providers, to explore strategies for enhancing women's financial inclusion, access to digital solutions, and multi-sectoral collaboration in the agritech ecosystem.
Key speakers included Hafsa Jumare, Founder of Comana; Linda Busienei, Program Manager at ACRE Africa; Billy Msagha, Acting Deputy Country Director at FCDO | UK-Kenya Tech Hub; and Betty Muriithi, Senior Regional Digital Financial Services Manager at Mercy Corps AgriFin.
Muriithi emphasized the need for bundling financial products to improve accessibility for women small-scale producers.
"Bundling enhances affordability and relevance, but competing household priorities remain a challenge. With 10 million SMEs eligible for financial inclusion, expanding access is critical," she said.
Msagha called for greater coordination among donors to prevent duplication of efforts.
"Many fund similar projects, yet key insights are not shared, limiting impact. Aligning with the Kenyan government is crucial for sustainable interventions," he noted.
He also highlighted localized financial solutions such as chamas (informal savings groups) and the government's credit guarantee schemes, which offer loans of up to KES 10 million but remain underutilized due to low awareness.
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Findings from the Agbase Gender Report
Insights from the newly launched Agbase Gender Report: Leading Women in Africa's Agritech Ecosystem (2024) highlighted major barriers hindering women's participation in agribusiness, including limited access to finance and land ownership disparities, among others.
Despite women producing 70% of Africa's food, according to the FAO's Status of Women's Agrifood Systems Report, only 7% of agritech funding reaches women innovators, reinforcing systemic inequalities.
To address these gaps, Mercy Corps AgriFin has supported over 2 million women small-scale producers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania over the past two years.
Since 2021, the organization has also promoted gender-transformative approaches through its Gender Transformative Toolkit, helping partners implement gender-inclusive policies and tailored solutions.
Mercy Corps AgriFin Program Director Sieka Gatabaki reiterated the organization's commitment to closing the gender gap in agricultural financing.
"Financial and digital inclusion for women in agriculture is not just about equity--it's a strategic imperative for Africa's sustainable agricultural transformation and economic growth."
