Women Should Be Leading Conservation Efforts in Africa

Jul 13, 2022 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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Women make up the backbone of society. Nowhere is this truer than in rural Africa, where the so-called “lesser sex” takes on the bulk of the childrearing, housekeeping and income earning. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), women make up 70 percent of Africa’s agricultural workforce and grow 90 percent of its food.Most women in sub-Saharan Africa have traditional responsibilities as food growers, water and fuel gatherers, and caregivers. The gender-specific division of labour in rural agricultural societies means that environmental degradation caused by climate change as well as unplanned development affects women the most.