This year’s African Green Revolution Forum did not leave out the importance of women in Agriculture. The session on solutions for women unlocking the potential of agriculture was in Africa was a very interesting session as delegates discussed the opportunities for women in Agriculture as well as the challenges they face. In Africa, women play very diverse roles yet the had been a major gap when it comes to women engaged in the Agro Sector.
This session brought together entrepreneurs, researchers, and the private sector and development partners working to support women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
The session saw great women who are involved in the agriculture sector such as Edith Wheatland (CEO, Rockland Farms) who won the Accelerate Women Entrepreneurs Prize for Sub-Saharan Africa for her business initiatives and empowering women entrepreneurs. Wheatland returned home from the States after she decided to start her own business. She began her own poultry farm called Rockland Farms located in a deprived community in the Ashanti Region. Given the several challenges women face in doing business across different value chains globally, it was worth noting that Wheatland was making lots of impact in her small way and also employing other women. Edith’s vision of a blooming poultry enterprise that could provide support and reference point for several other women in the community drover her put her pride aside and moved to live in a small farm in order to give greater attention to her business. Her constant struggle with reptiles and ants did never discouraged her rather she was able to develop a poultry business from eight thousand birds to sixty thousand birds with thirty-five employees.
Her story is that which for me should inspire young women to never be afraid of taking business risks. The intervention of other stakeholders coming in to help her also says much, that if attention would be given to women entrepreneurs and support and policies and being put in place to create a conducive environment for them to compete in the Agric sector we will be able to close the gender gap of women involved in Agribusinesses