Understanding rural women’s situations to generate gender-equitable benefits

Results from a project led by the International Potato Center (CIP) to commercialize sweetpotato in Mozambique highlights why research-for-development agencies need to do their homework before setting out, as achieving goals may be more challenging than it first appears.

Crops are not gender neutral

The inclusion of women in commercial agricultural value chains as a pathway to economic growth and empowerment is not new. Yet despite a growing body of research in different contexts and with different crops, there is still much to learn about whether, how, and under what conditions it delivers on its promise.