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

The Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean and Insect Sectors (BRAINS) project is a multinational programme implemented across 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, including Zimbabwe. The project aims to transform farming systems for common beans, fruit trees, and insects for food and feed by promoting low-carbon, climate-resilient agricultural methods and ensuring inclusive and equitable participation of women, youth, and other marginalised groups. BRAINS aims to encourage the use of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies, strengthen value chain development, and foster gender-responsive agribusiness opportunities in line with increasing climate finance and sustainability objectives.
The agricultural sector in Zimbabwe is highly vulnerable to climatic variability and change, marked by frequent droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and rising temperatures, all of which significantly reduce agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. (FAO, 2022; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2022). Since agriculture plays a crucial role in livelihoods and national food security, these climatic challenges disproportionately impact smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of Zimbabwe’s rural economy. In this context, gender disparities increase vulnerability, as women—who make up a large portion of the agricultural workforce—often face limited access to productive resources, extension services, climate information, and financial capital. (Doss, 2018; World Bank, 2024).
Evidence from Zimbabwe and across Sub-Saharan Africa shows that deep-rooted socio-cultural norms and institutional barriers prevent women's involvement in high-value segments of agricultural value chains. They diminish their decision-making power and restrict their control over income and productive resources. (UN Women, 2021). Women are typically engaged in labour-intensive and low-yield activities, while men mainly hold roles in commercialisation, market access, and financial decision-making. Youth, especially women, face greater limitations due to restricted access to land, financial resources, and entrepreneurial opportunities, which reduces their motivation to participate in agriculture (Yeboah & Jayne, 2018). These structural inequalities not only harm productivity but also impede disadvantaged communities from adopting climate-smart innovations and building resilience.
Findings from the Zimbabwe Mixed-Methods Gender Analysis further demonstrate pronounced gendered divisions of labour, unequal access to resources and services, and discrepancies in involvement throughout bean, fruit tree, and insect value chains.
Women are actively involved in production and post-harvest activities but remain underrepresented in leadership, decision-making, and profitable market sectors. Limited access to loans, extension services, and climate-resilient technologies further restrict their production and adaptive capacity. Additionally, socially marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities and resource-poor households, face additional barriers to participation and benefiting from agricultural programmes.