Oxfam urges bold reforms to boost women leadership in agriculture at the CAADP Summit in Kampala

As delegates gather in Kampala for the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Summit, a familiar yet urgent issue dominates the agenda, the role of women in Africa’s agriculture.

Women, who form the backbone of the continent’s agricultural economy, remain on the periphery of decision-making and access to critical resources.

This inequality, Oxfam warns, risks stalling Africa’s progress toward sustainable growth and food security.

At the CAADP Summit, leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders will deliberate on the summit’s sub-theme: “Advancing Inclusivity and Equitable Livelihoods.”

For Oxfam and its partners, this presents a crucial opportunity to address the structural barriers that keep women farmers marginalized.

The organization has been vocal about the need for transformative policies to foster women’s leadership, calling this moment a chance to rewrite Africa’s agricultural narrative.

“Women’s leadership, labour, and knowledge are the backbone of African agriculture,” said Francis Agbere, Oxfam in Africa’s Just Economies Lead.

“Yet they continue to face significant barriers in access to land, credit, and markets. African governments must commit to transforming agricultural policies and systems to empower women and smallholder farmers, ensuring their voices are not only heard but central to the continent's agricultural and economic policy decisions and development.”

Despite constituting the majority of Africa’s agricultural workforce, women are disproportionately excluded from resource allocation and policy representation.

Many remain trapped in subsistence farming, constrained by traditional norms, inadequate financial support, and limited market access. This exclusion has far-reaching consequences, stifling not only their productivity but also the broader economic potential of the sector.

Oxfam’s recommendations for the summit are straightforward but ambitious. The organization is calling for mechanisms to collect gender-disaggregated data to track the impact of agricultural policies on women.

Tailored financial products are also essential, they argue, to address the specific needs of women farmers who struggle to access credit under traditional systems.

Oxfam stresses the importance of women’s participation in policymaking.

Without their voices in the room, decisions risk perpetuating a cycle of exclusion. The organization also emphasizes the need to address cultural and legal barriers that undermine women’s economic empowerment, while fostering strategic partnerships with grassroots women’s groups to amplify their influence.

For Oxfam, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The Kampala Declaration, expected to be issued at the summit’s conclusion, could set the tone for Africa’s agricultural policy over the next decade.

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme has outlined ambitious priorities for 2026–2035, and without deliberate action to include women, those goals risk becoming unattainable.

The conversation around women in agriculture is not just about equity, t’s about economics. Agriculture contributes nearly 20% of Africa’s GDP, yet the untapped potential of women farmers represents a significant opportunity cost.

If empowered with access to land, credit, and markets, women could drive agricultural productivity and food security, creating ripple effects throughout rural economies.

As the summit begins, optimism mingles with skepticism. The potential for bold reforms exists, but will African leaders rise to the occasion? For women farmers across the continent, the answers could redefine their futures.

The story of African agriculture is deeply tied to the women who work its land, yet their voices are often drowned out in the corridors of power.

Officials say the CAADP Summit is an opportunity to amplify those voices, not as beneficiaries of charity but as agents of change in their own right.