Gender and Youth

For five years, Musah Kalamdulai, a cocoa farmer and tailor from the Bremang Nwomaso community in Ghana’s Central region, believed that having his children work on the farm was just part of their contribution to the family farming business. Unaware of the risks to his children’s health and education, they often engaged in spraying agrochemicals, weeding large portions of farmland, pruning or carrying heavy loads.

In Ayisikrom, a community in Ghana where patriarchal traditions are entrenched, a gradual transformation is underway. Thirty-nine-year-old Mavis Baidoo, a mother of four and a cocoa farmer, has defied societal norms to become a trailblazer for women who are embracing social change.

In rural Sierra Leone, farmers are revitalizing their agricultural practices, and women farmers like Jeneba Hakawa are working hard to increase local rice production. With seeds, tools and training, the Resilient Food and Nutrition Security programme has helped rural community groups develop inland valley swamps for rice cultivation to improve food security and create economic opportunities.