Mozambique gender strategy: Building equitable climate-resilient african bean & insect sectors

The Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean and Insect Sectors (BRAINS) project is a multi-country initiative implemented across 15 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, including Mozambique. The project seeks to foster low-carbon, climate-resilient agricultural systems in the bean, fruit tree, and insect for food and feed value chains. Specifically, BRAINS aims to: (a) enhance climate resilience equitably among women, youth, and other marginalized farmers; (b) scale the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies; and (c) develop gender-responsive enterprises aligned with emerging climate finance and green growth agendas
Agriculture is the cornerstone of Mozambique's economy, accounting for approximately 25% of national GDP and providing employment for almost 70-80% of the rural population (World Bank, 2023; Maduku & Zerihun, 2023). The sector is primarily comprised of smallholder farmers who cultivate less than two hectares under predominantly rain-fed systems. (Leonardo et al., 2018). However, Mozambique is among the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, frequently affected by cyclones, floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall patterns that disrupt agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods (IPCC, 2022). These climate shocks disproportionately impact women due to pre-existing structural disparities in finance, land access, extension services, and climate information services.
The quantitative gender analysis conducted under the BRAINS project in Manica Province in Mozambique confirms persistent gender disparities across the common bean, fruit tree, beekeeping, and beneficial insect value chains. Male farmers own and cultivate significantly larger land areas and possess more productive assets than their female counterparts (including fruit trees and modern beehives) and attain higher production volumes and market participation. Women, although actively involved in agricultural production, manage smaller plots, cultivate fewer trees, depend more on conventional technology, and exhibit lower rates of literacy and mobile phone ownership.
Extensive literature indicates that gender disparities in agriculture are not driven by differences in ability, but from inequitable access to productive resources and decision-making authority (Arndt et al., 2011; FAO, 2023). Climate change exacerbates these disparities by heightening production risks and intensifying time and labour demands, especially for women. Evidence throughout Sub-Saharan Africa indicates that gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture initiatives can markedly enhance production, resilience, and food security when structural restrictions are mitigated (IPCC, 2022).
The Mozambique Gender Strategy establishes a systematic framework for integrating gender equality throughout the BRAINS value chains. It builds on the Reach, Benefit, Empower, and Transform (RBET) framework, the Gender Transformative Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles (GTSTIBs) approach, and the youth and women quality centre (YWQC) model to ensure that vulnerable and marginalised groups (VMGs) such as women, youth, and people living with disabilities (PLWDs) are not only included but actively empowered and positioned as agents of climate-resilient agricultural transformation.