In a report published by the World Food Programme today, my colleagues Leena Hoffmann, Paul Melly and I highlight some of the constraints that tend to limit the scope for women to achieve higher incomes from a more diverse and sustainable range of agriculture-related activities in West Africa.
Building on a comparative study of the Kano-Katsina region in northern Nigeria and the Maradi region in southern Niger, our report explores the rural and commercial setting in which women conduct their routine affairs and considers social, legal, regulatory and financial factors that influence women’s chances.
The study contributes to a better understanding and assessment of the links between gender and the functioning of markets and value chains under relatively stable conditions. It is part of the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Gender & Markets Initiative of the World Food Programme Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa in Dakar.
Olivier J. Walther 