Tanzania gender strategy: Building Equitable Climate Resilient African Bean and Insect Sectors (BRAINS) Project

Agriculture constitutes the foundation of Tanzania’s economy, supporting national growth, rural livelihoods, and food and nutrition security (Mkonda & He, 2018). The sector significantly contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs the majority of the population, especially in rural regions where smallholder farmers dominate agriculture production systems (Wineman et al., 2020). Agriculture is largely rain-fed, defined by small landholdings, minimal mechanisation, and restricted access to enhanced inputs and services. Agricultural performance is intrinsically linked to overarching development outcomes, such as poverty alleviation, job creation, and household well-being. Considering the importance of agriculture to livelihoods, enhancing its resilience and inclusivity is essential for attaining sustainable development in Tanzania (World Bank, 2024).
However, Tanzania's agricultural sector is increasingly vulnerable to climate variability and long-term climate change, which persistently compromise productivity and stability (Olarewaju et al., 2025). Erratic rainfall patterns, including delayed initiation and early cessation of rainfall, extended dry periods, and rising temperatures, have grown more frequent, altering cropping calendars and yields. In addition, the growing prevalence of pests and diseases further complicates crops and livestock production risks, resulting to higher uncertainty and income instability among smallholder farmers. These climate-related stresses disproportionately affect resource-constrained households that have limited capacity to adapt due to poor access to information, technologies, and financial resources (IPCC, 2022; Kangalawe et al., 2017). Consequently, building climate-resilient agricultural systems has become an essential and urgent priority.
Amid these dynamics of climate vulnerability, gender inequalities pose a key and persistent impediment to inclusive agricultural change. Women comprise a major share of the agricultural labour force and are actively participating across value chains, including production, processing, distribution, and marketing. Despite their enormous contributions, women suffer structural and institutional barriers that limit their access to productive resources such as land, loans, inputs, extension services, and climatic information. These limitations are frequently upheld by socio-cultural norms that curtail women's decision-making authority, mobility, and engagement in higher-value economic activities. As a result, women are frequently focused in subsistence-oriented production and informal marketplaces, restricting their ability to benefit from commercialization and climate-smart agricultural prospects (Agarwal, 2018; FAO, 2023).
Empirical evidence from the Tanzania BRAINS quantitative gender study demonstrates the severity of these differences. Men generally have greater ownership over land and other productive assets, cultivate larger regions, and participate more actively in higher-value and formal marketplaces. Conversely, women generally manage smaller landholdings and depend more on informal mechanisms, such as social networks and savings groups, to obtain seeds, finance, and labour. Gender gaps are also visible in access to extension services, digital platforms, and agro-weather information services, which are increasingly crucial for climate-informed decision-making. Although mobile phone usage is high among both men and women, gaps persist in the efficient use of digital tools and advisory services, restricting women’s ability to fully benefit from agricultural advancements and climatic information.