The recently released U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security states that “Gender-based violence, including sexual harassment and abuse, both online and offline, hampers educational outcomes and attendance and deters economic and livelihood participation, job retention, and opportunities for advancement and leadership for women around the globe” (p. 13). The strategy is aligned with the Global U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence, “recognizing that gender-based violence is a global and material systemic risk to economic security, democracy, and development” (p. 24).

Gender-based violence (GBV) is defined as any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and/or lack of adherence to varying socially constructed norms around masculinity and femininity (GBV Strategy, 8). 

Addressing and mitigating gender-based violence in the agriculture sector is a fundamental aspect of promoting women’s global economic security. In addition to causing physical and psychological harm, gender-based violence threatens the economic security of individuals and their families, which has broader impacts across communities and economies. A 2021 IMF working paper assessed the impact of GBV across 18 sub-Saharan countries and found that when the percentage of women subject to domestic violence declines by 1 percentage point, economic activities increase by 8 percent; increased violence is associated with a significant drop in female employment and a reduction in overall economic growth. There are also links between climate change and other shocks and stressors that cannot be ignored in the agriculture sector. For example, a 2021 study of public health and emergency weather data in Kenya found that not only were women more likely to experience intimate partner violence if their spouse worked in agriculture, but reporting increased by 60 percent in counties that experienced a significant weather event.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence is a Pillar in the AWE Learning Agenda

As foreign assistance and development programs seek to increase women’s economic security and empowerment, many have sought to better understand the relevance of GBV and what appropriate steps to take. Because GBV can manifest within the day-to-day activities of an agricultural value chain or market system, many actors across the entire system — and the projects that support them — can unintentionally increase the risk of GBV in the pursuit of pure market-driven objectives (see graphic).

As discussed in a two-part article series about the dangers of economic violence (Part 1 and Part 2), projects focused on increasing access to markets, finance, resources and jobs may unintentionally disrupt power and social norms that can unintentionally lead to GBV. For example, a 2018 study of unintended consequences of a microfinance initiative in Ghana found that while it promotes female entrepreneurship, it can also increase GBV risks because male spouses “feel threatened by female independent decision making,” so they seek ways to address the shift in power. Further, a 2021 ILO working paper that assessed sexual violence and harassment in commercial agriculture in low- and middle-income countries uncovered alarming findings: researchers found GBV and harassment to be pervasive across types of agribusinesses and contexts, “rife on the farms and in the packhouses…on the tea and rubber plantations…on grape and vegetable export farms…in the cut flower industry.”

Promoting Global Women’s Economic Security with AWE’s GBV in Ag Toolkit

Feed the Future Advancing Women’s Empowerment (AWE) Program designed a GBV in Ag Toolkit to guide donors and implementers to see the relevance and intersections of GBV in the different levels of a food and market system, the key entry points for addressing GBV, and how to prepare staff for this process. AWE then piloted the toolkit with a Feed the Future agricultural markets activity for nine months, incorporating lessons learned into the final version, including employing a practical and context-specific process to introduce GBV; holding multiple workshops and mentoring staff on GBV concepts; and ensuring leadership sets a clear mandate and makes GBV response a project priority.

The resources in the toolkit support staff and stakeholders who are designing policies, implementing programs, or developing partnerships to deepen their understanding of the places and spaces where GBV risks may occur in agriculture and market systems and offer practical steps for identifying, mitigating, and preventing GBV in the proposed policies and interventions.

The GBV in Ag Toolkit offers:

• An explanation of how and where GBV affects agriculture and market systems development (MSD) from a systems perspective;
• Principles and pathways for agriculture and MSD programs to follow in addressing GBV, including survivor-centered and do-no-harm principles;
• “How to” steps to address GBV and measure progress, including GBV-inclusive data collection and decision-making guidance;
• Key actions for preparing front-line staff with referral resources and basic protocols to link survivors with support;
• Worksheets, tools, and job aids that can be used as pull-out resources and offer information, such as:
  • GBV considerations by value chain node and intervention type;
  • Entry points for integrating GBV response across the ag/MSD life cycle;
  • GBV mapping tools; and
  • Resources for private sector engagement, including developing the business case, engaging men and boys, promoting land rights, collecting data, and training.

The principles, pathways and steps in the toolkit support the U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security commitments to using intersectional approaches; making evidence-based and data-informed decisions to inform programming; do no harm and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse principles; locally led and public-private partnerships, as well as accountability, learning and adaptation. Applying this guidance will enable agriculture and MSD programs to improve women’s economic security by increasing women’s ability to safely and actively engage in and benefit from activities. Staff and stakeholders who are working to support women’s economic security outside of agriculture and MSD development programming will find the information relevant to the development of policies and programs that affect women in agriculture and beyond. Principles, pathways and tools available in the Toolkit are relevant to any policy or activity considering women’s formal and informal employment.

The Way Forward

We are only beginning to scratch the surface on understanding the needs and impacts of GBV in agriculture and MSD, as well as its broader impacts on women’s economic security. We remain committed to contributing to the conversation through facilitating opportunities to share practical examples and tools. Be on the lookout for more opportunities to share learning and insights!

For those interested in exploring further, AWE offers additional resources in the Resource Compendium: Gender-Based Violence in Agriculture and Other Sectors, which provides a practical, easy-to-use collection of resources that contain tools for preventing, mitigating and responding to GBV in agriculture and other sectors.

Interested in Engaging AWE? 

Feed the Future Advancing Women’s Empowerment (AWE) provides targeted technical assistance to Missions, implementing partners, the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, and other USAID offices to increase women’s participation, productivity, profit and benefit in agricultural systems. See the many benefits we offer missions around the world here. 

Contact: USAID/RFS COR Aslihan Kes ([email protected]) or AWE Team Lead Samantha Croasdaile ([email protected]) for more information.