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Policy brief: Non-tariff measures in the agrifood sector

Making the AfCFTA work for women in the agrifood sector












FAO and ITC. 2023. Policy brief: Non-tariff measures in the agrifood sector - Making the African Continental Free Trade Area work for women. Rome. 



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    The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement is a powerful roadmap which promises to boost the livelihoods of African people. The agreement spans over 54 countries and supports a market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of USD 2.5 trillion and growing. While the new free trade area presents a ground-breaking opportunity to boost Africa’s share of global trade and achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, such objectives can only be accomplished if the implementation of the agreement is fair and inclusive. To ensure that the implementation of the AfCFTA is fair and inclusive, gender-based constraints must be removed and women must have an active voice in decision-making processes. Implementing entities and governments must conduct gender analyses and prioritize women's needs and challenges, facilitating their transition to and engagement in increasingly formal markets and value chains. FAO and the International Trade Centre have joined efforts to to support women in overcoming gender-based obstacles in the context of the agreement. The Empowering women and boosting livelihoods through agricultural trade: Leveraging the AfCFTA (EWAT) programme was developed in 2021 with the objective of promoting women’s participation in the AfCFTA, and increasing their access to capacity building and higher-productivity activities, capitalizing on the new opportunities in regional trade created by the AfCFTA agreement. Within the context of the programme, policy briefs were drafted based on in-depth studies on trade facilitation and non-tariff measures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade. This policy brief examines the role of the AfCFTA in addressing gender-related challenges in trade facilitation faced by women agripreneurs and traders across sub-Saharan Africa.
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    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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    Empowerment of Agricultural Women Cooperatives and Producer Associations in the Agrifood Sector of Lebanon
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    The project aimed to create a better social and cultural environment for women’s economic empowerment. It intended to increase the participation of women in local economies by establishing or expanding agrifood enterprises that generate income. This focused on integrating women’s cooperatives, associations, and informal groups, and Syrian refugee women and girls into the local value chains in the agrifood sector. This integration involved plant and animal production, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, food processing and marketing, and sustainable income generating activities.

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