"Empowering women in agriculture through targeted financial solutions, climate-smart technical assistance and gender-responsive training is key to achieving climate resilience and food security. AMF is committed to bridging the gender gap in agribusiness and fostering long-term economic sustainability for gender-smart enterprises."Sawa Nakagawa
Executive Director, AlphaMundi Foundation
[A1.1] Provide tailored financial products, such as grants or impact-linked loans, specifically for women-led businesses or businesses demonstrating strong gender-smart practices in agrifood systems.
Women entrepreneurs in agrifood systems face systemic challenges in accessing financing, technical assistance and agricultural training.
At least 50 percent of SMEs funded under AMF initiatives will be women-led or have at least 30 percent female leadership representation. Financing will be provided to at least five women-led climate-resilient agribusinesses.
In 2024, the AlphaMundi Foundation (AMF) continued integrating gender-responsive approaches into its agricultural financing and development initiatives, ensuring that gender-smart businesses in agrifood systems received the necessary financial and technical support to scale their operations and impact.
Specifically, with funding from the German Agency for International Cooperation, AMF implemented the "Promoting Organic Fertilizer Solutions in East and West Africa" project, which aimed to support sustainable agriculture and empower gender-forward small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and smallholder farmers through the promotion of organic fertilizer, capacity building, and efforts to address gender inequalities in the agricultural sector. AMF developed tailored financing solutions in the form of outcome-based grants for SMEs that prioritized gender-inclusive business models to enhance the production of organic fertilizer, while addressing gender disparities in agricultural productivity and income. Nearly 90 percent of the selected SMEs were 2X-compliant.
The project yielded significant outcomes, including the production of nearly 3 000 tonnes of biofertilizer, the establishment of 149 demonstration farms, and equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to adopt climate-resilient farming techniques. Additionally, 9 147 farmers, 50 percent of whom are women, were trained in climate-smart agriculture, organic fertilizer use and financial literacy. To reach more women, AMF ensured that a significant number of extension officers were female to provide relatable and effective training.
To amplify its impact, AMF engaged in extensive knowledge-sharing activities, publishing two blog posts on organic fertilizer and gender-inclusive agriculture, 25 LinkedIn posts showcasing project insights and lessons learned, and one case study detailing the outcomes and innovations achieved. These efforts contributed to broader awareness to scale gender-responsive and climate-smart agricultural solutions across Eastern and Western Africa.
By aligning capacity-building strategies with climate resilience and gender equality, AMF ensured that women farmers and gender-smart SMEs gained access to finance and received targeted support for adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
Required citation:
FAO. 2025. Commit to Grow Equality: investing in the future of women in agrifood systems – Progress report 2025. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4123en
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