Agriculture continues to loom large in the development possibilities in Africa. It is therefore
not surprising that global, continental, regional, and national governments have all
embarked upon policy and institutional initiatives to address problems in agriculture so as to
ensure that the sector makes its relevant contribution to the African development agenda.
However, agriculture, like any economic activity, requires relevant resources and rewards
for optimum performance. The availability of resources, particularly, human resources, is
only a necessary condition to the development of the sector. A sufficient condition is the
terms of accessibility to these resources. Women farmers constitute one vital human
resource in African agriculture. This study examines the state of women in African
agriculture, by focusing on how policy and institutional considerations frame the conditions
of access to agricultural resources. The study first shows the missing links in the approaches
to African women in agriculture. Second, the study discusses the relationship between
access to resources and rewards and the contribution of women farmers to agricultural
development, food security and the larger continental development agenda. Through the
use of thematic variables, the study shows some of the constraints that affect the access of
women farmers to critical variables in agricultural production and marketing. Finally, the
study reiterates the importance of political leadership in improving the conditions of
women farmers and outlines viable policy recommendations that recognize and address the
multiple roles and challenges African women farmers are confronted with in the agricultural
sector in particular and national development in general.
