Women around the world are the backbone of global agricultural production, making up almost half of the worldwide agricultural workforce. In some countries, that number goes as high as 70%. Women play a vital role in getting food to our table, and yet because of deep gender inequalities, many of those women arenโt able to realize their full potential, both as workers and as community members.
From earning little (to sometimes no income) to lack of representation in leadership roles to access and control of land, women in agriculture face many obstacles. Tackling those obstacles provides an opportunity for change. Today, itโs estimated that eliminating the gap between men and women in access to agricultural resources would increase the yields on womenโs farms by 20% to 30% and increase agricultural production in developing countries by up to 4%. If we can put the correct policies in place that empower women, the future is female.
As part of that agricultural web, coffee is an industry dependent on the work of women around the globe, making gender equity an essential part of the sustainable coffee supply chain. โMost of the obstacles faced by women coffee farmers are the same as those found across the agriculture sector,โ says Nick Watson, a coffee-sector adviser with the International Trade Centre, who has an initiative focused on women in coffee. โSocial norms often discriminate against women in rural areas leading to disproportionate land and asset ownership; household and income decision making; time and labour distribution; access to information and training; and participation and leadership in rural organisations or as registered suppliers to agribusinesses.โ
Despite these obstacles, itโs often thanks to women that the coffee production happens in the first place. โWomen are on the front lines when it comes to our beloved cup of coffee. They serve as the primary labor force on roles that most affect quality, from picking the ripe coffee cherries off the tree to sorting beans throughout processing. Despite their significant role, most earnings go to men who own the property and manage commercial deals,โ says Phyllis Johnson, president of BD Imports.
Johnson is a tireless advocate for womenโs rights and gender equity in the coffee supply chain. โWhen women are given opportunities for growth in both position and pay, Iโve seen first-hand, they stretch their dollar the farthest,โ says Johnson. She cites several promising examples in different origin countries, from the Los Andes Coffee and Tea Reserve in Guatemala, where gender equity training has empowered women both socially and economically, providing access to healthcare for their family and the financial capability to maintain a local primary school to Marey Yogiyo in Papua New Guinea, who in 2014 became the first licensed indigenous female exporter in the country, leading to a 63% rise in her revenue.
Building more gender equity requires a multi-pronged approach, and this starts at the production level. While they make up a large part of the global agricultural labor force, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations study, female farmers receive only 5% of agricultural extension services, in other words, agricultural trainings. In East Africa, nonprofit TechnoServe has been working for over a decade to tackle this problem, providing agronomy trainings that include both men and women. These inclusive trainings โbreaks down the gender barriers that keep knowledge in silos,โ says Amanda Satterly, TechnoServeโs director of gender initiatives. โTraditionally when you invite farmers to training and when they hear โfarmersโ they hear โmen,โโ says Satterly. โUnless you proactively try to reach and train women, theyโre invisible.โ
Today, there are a growing number of gender equity-focused projects across many coffee growing countries. Bloomberg Philanthropies recently committed $10 million to womenโs economic development through coffee initiatives in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Costa Rica, the cooperative ASOMOBI operates the countryโs first women-run micro-mill, profiled in the film A Small Section of the World. The organization International Womenโs Coffee Alliance operates chapters around the world, finding regional specific solutions to helping women in coffee production.
โTo rebuild the spirit of a woman is to rebuild the spirit of a country.โ So goes part of the mission statement of Rebuild Women’s Hope, an organization based in Bukavu, on the edge of Lake Kivu in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Started by a local Congolese woman, today it has the support ofย Coffeelacย andย SHIFT Social Impact Solutions, and recently receivedย a round of investment from Strauss Group, a high volume international coffee trading firm based in Tel Aviv.ย โWomen make up a huge piece of the value chainโฆ but the question is, where are they?โ says Sara Mason, SHIFT’s founder andย a Sprudge contributor. โAre they in positions where they can actually gain an income?โ
As Mason points out, in DRC like many other coffee-producing countries, women tend to be in the cultivation of coffee and not the selling of it, and thatโs โnot where the money changes hands. We need to re-examine that and look at how do we get the money in the hands of the women,โ says Mason.
There is, of course, no one-size-fits-all solution. Every country, every culture, every region, comes with its own set of social norms and gender expectations, which makes the regionally focused work of initiatives even more important.
โChanging gender-norms is like chipping away at an iceberg,” says Johnson.ย “It takes time and great patience. Women coffee farmers are often hindered through traditional patriarchal systems that exclude them from primary decision-making, as well as a lack of technical skills, and increased violence due to precarious work conditions,โ Johnson continues. โWe canโt neglect the need for transformation on gender equity in coffee producing countries.โ
While the industry has made advances, we need to be careful to not stagnate. Inclusivity and diversity are not just items on a checklist, and while we might have become better at talking about these issues, we need to continue to do the hard work to put them into practice. โEveryone has the language,โ says Satterly, โbut underneath theyโre not changing what they do.โ
Johnson echoes that sentiment. โWeโve seen progress as a result of collaboration and dedicated focus in the industry, however, we also canโt deny the reality that still exists. We have a long journey ahead in all aspects of our global society when it comes to gender equity. Itโs time for consumers to join the conversation.โ
For many of coffee drinkers, the realities of coffee production can often feel very far away, and they indeed are in a geographic sense. But our quest for a good cup can be about more than just what we taste. Our actionsโand our questionsโdo have the potential for positive change.
โAs both a consumer and coffee professional looking beyond the physical characteristics of my coffee uncovered an incredible story of hope, resilience, and renaissance,โ says Phyllis Johnson. โWhat stories and opportunities will your questions unearth?โ
Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in the American Pacific Northwest, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.
Photos by Glenna Gordon unless otherwise noted,ย and courtesy of Anna Brones.
