Women Who Farm Africa is an initiative dedicated to engaging, empowering, and encouraging rural women farmers in the fight against hunger. Co-founded by Sylvia Tetteh (Ghana), Ruramiso Mashumba (Zimbabwe), and Sussana Phiri (Zambia), the organisation’s support system includes training, peer-to-peer learning, and storytelling. These resources are used to develop a leadership development curriculum that equips women farmers with the skills, tools, and techniques they need to increase food production.
“The World Food Programme estimates that if women are given access to resources, we would see 100-150 million less hunger. Meaning women are central to ending hunger,” said co-founder Ruramiso Mashumba.
The organisation tackles critical barriers such as limited access to land, capital, and technology. This is helping rural women farmers build financial independence and more substantial decision-making power. The initiative also closes the productivity gap between male and female farmers by ensuring women access vital farming inputs, including improved seeds, fertilisers, and mechanisation technology.
“Empowering hundreds and thousands of these women is how we feed the world,” said co-founder Sussana Phiri.
Farming is a big deal in Africa, providing jobs for over half of the continent’s population and making up about 20% of the economy. Still, women farmers, the backbone of agriculture, producing around 70% of the food, struggle to make a decent living through farming. They own less than 20% of farmland and have limited access to essential resources like quality seeds, fertilisers, and modern farming tools.
This gap limits their productivity. Studies show that female farmers produce between 13% and 25% less than their male counterparts due to poor resource access. Women Who Farm Africa has recognised these challenges and is mitigating them.
“There is no reason why we cannot empower the women of Africa to empower themselves,” said co-founder Sylvia Tetteh.
Women Who Farm Africa also provides extension services to improve crop and animal farming practices, including advice, information, and ongoing support. They help farmers embrace advanced market strategies, such as digital platforms, to boost their sales and reduce post-harvest losses. The three founders, Tetteh, Mashumba, and Phiri, were members of the Alliance for Science’s Global Leadership Fellows Program, cohort 2019.
