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Policy brief: Trade facilitation in the agrifood sector

Making the African Continental Free Trade Area work for women









FAO & ITC. 2023. Policy brief: Trade facilitation in the agrifood sector - Making the African Continental Free Trade Area work for women. Rome. 



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    Policy brief
    Policy brief: Non-tariff measures in the agrifood sector
    Making the AfCFTA work for women in the agrifood sector
    2023
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    The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers improved trading opportunities for farmers, processors, entrepreneurs of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, traders and informal cross-border traders across urban, peri-urban, rural and border areas. The simplified requirements under the agreement provides the possibility of moving beyond informality into the formal economy. The AfCFTA can open up opportunities for women agripreneurs and traders to tap into new markets and move up the value chain for trading in agrifood goods (FAO, 2021). However, gains can only be achieved if trade facilitation is improved for both women and men across the continent. The main objective of trade facilitation is to eliminate red tape and reduce the time and associated costs that constrain trade activities. This policy brief unpacks how non-tariff measures may promote or hinder women’s participation in the agrifood sector across sub-Saharan Africa.
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    Policy brief
    Facilitating gender responsive access to finance in the agrifood sector in sub-Saharan Africa
    Making the African Continental Free Trade Area work for women: Policy brief
    2024
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    This policy brief focuses on promoting gender-responsive access to finance for women in the agrifood sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights the critical contributions of women to agrifood systems, while also discussing the substantial challanges and barriers they face to accessing finance due to persistent gender-based constraints and structural inequalities. These include discriminatory social norms, limited opportunities for business development, and restricted ownership of property and assets. These obstacles are compounded by a lack of gender-responsive financial products and services. Formal banking institutions and products often de facto exclude women since they are unable to provide collateral, forcing many to rely on personal capital and informal savings schemes, which severely limits their business growth and potential.The brief proposes several solutions to address these barriers, emphasizing the importance of enhancing financial literacy among women and promoting formal microfinance and rural banking. It suggests implementing guarantee and insurance schemes tailored to the needs of women-led businesses and developing financial products and services that are responsive to gender-specific challenges. Additionally, the brief underscores the necessity of gender-responsive policy reforms and the engagement of multiple stakeholders to ensure inclusive financial inclusion.Furthermore, the policy brief advocates for increased representation of women in decision-making roles and the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws within the financial industry. It also calls for measures to ensure women's land and property ownership rights, recognizing that secure land tenure is crucial for their economic empowerment. By implementing these recommendations, the brief argues that bridging the financial gap for women in agribusiness can significantly enhance productivity, economic growth, and food security across Africa.
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    Policy brief
    Agrifood trade and gender equality: exploring key linkages 2023
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    The note analyses key features of the interplay between trade and gender equality in agriculture exploring gender dynamics in agrifood value chains and their implications for developing countries, with a focus on the dimensions of employment, market participation and entrepreneurship. Globally, gender inequalities constrain women’s access to agrifood markets and have an impact on agricultural value chain development, trade performance and economic growth. Agrifood trade can lead to social and economic outcomes potentially conducive to gender equality and women’s empowerment. To this end, gender-responsive trade and agricultural policies can play a role in promoting a more inclusive trade environment, by removing gender barriers to domestic and international agrifood markets.

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