Gender Equity in Agriculture: Proposing Integrated Solutions to Address Women's Challenges in Rural and Urban Food Production Systems in Tanzania
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Date
2026-07-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East African Nature and Science Organization
Abstract
Agriculture is central to Tanzania’s economy, and women contribute more than
half of the agricultural labour force. Despite this contribution, persistent gender
inequalities continue to constrain productivity, weaken food security, and limit
inclusive economic growth. This study examines how patriarchal land tenure
systems, unpaid care responsibilities, and insecure urban farming arrangements
jointly restrict women’s participation in higher-value agricultural production.
Drawing on a systematic literature review and a comparative analysis of rural
and urban food-production systems, the study proposed an integrated GenderTransformative Approach (GTA) to address these barriers. The findings show
that technical support alone is insufficient unless accompanied by structural
reforms that strengthen women’s land rights, reduce time poverty through
labour-saving and climate-smart technologies, and transform social norms that
sustain unequal gender relations. The study therefore proposes a GenderTransformative Framework that links legal reform, institutional support,
technological innovation, and community-level change. By addressing both
rural exclusion and urban tenure insecurity, the framework offers a pathway to
move women from subsistence production into commercial agricultural value
chains and to advance gender equity in Tanzania’s food systems. It is
recommended that development projects should integrate legal reform, market
support, access to technology, and social change within a single framework
rather than treating women’s productivity constraints as isolated problems.
Description
East African Journal of Agriculture and Biotechnology, pp. 244-256
Keywords
Agriculture, Gender equity, Women, Production, Transformation, Food systems.
Citation
https://doi.org/10.37284/eajab.9.2.5255