Our Approach
Nearly half of the world’s farmers are women, but gender inequalities are holding them back. At Self Help Africa, we are working every day to level the playing field.
Supporting small-scale farmers
Self Help Africa is committed to helping end hunger and poverty in rural Africa.
Right now, the lives of millions of people on the continent are at stake - many of them children - due to hunger, malnourishment and extreme poverty exacerbated by conflict, climate change and the impact of COVID-19.
At Self Help Africa, we are experts in small-scale farming. We know how to grow family farming businesses and are helping many small-scale farmers across Africa - particularly women - transform the lives of their families and communities.
What we do
Promoting gender equality and empowering Africa’s women farmers to take control of their businesses and lives is at the forefront of all of Self Help Africa’s work.
Our training enables women to grow their knowledge, particularly about agriculture, nutrition and business, through better access to information. We support women to increase their voice, choice and control, both in their communities and at home, increasing their decision-making power and helping secure some control over their finances.
Engaging men and boys
We know it is vital men and boys can see and understand the value of equal opportunities. If they are ‘allies’ in gender justice and equality there is a greater chance of real change.
So, Self Help Africa promote discussion and mutual understanding of gender issues between men and women across our programmes, with a focus on unequal workloads and decision making.
We value research and innovation, working with research institutions and doing our own to better understand the impact our initiatives have on men and women in the communities we support and what more we can do to help eliminate barriers facing women farmers in rural Africa particularly.
Women on the Frontline of Climate Change
The global climate emergency is hitting the most marginalised the hardest. Despite being major food producers, gender stereotypes and women’s work burden mean they are more likely to go hungry than men and have fewer opportunities to learn about, participate in, and benefit from, ‘climate-smart’ farming methods.
We’re working hard to change that.
Meet the African women transforming their farming methods with our support to secure a future for Africa’s food production.
Africa’s women farmers are locked in a struggle to provide for their families in the face of drier, hotter and more unpredictable weather.
With Self Help Africa, women in these tough environments are adapting their farming methods to earn an income and help secure food for their communities.
Stories from the field
Find out more about Self Help Africa’s approach to working with women
You can find more on where we work and what we do to support rural women here