• Women’s land rights are key to resilient food systems: Secure access to land empowers women to increase agricultural productivity, improve household nutrition, strengthen climate resilience, and drive inclusive economic growth.  
• Turning policy into practice requires community-led solutions: Experts from Landesa shared practical approaches from Kenya and Tanzania, including legal awareness, succession planning, community engagement, and strengthening local land governance that have helped women secure their land rights.  
• Partnerships can accelerate lasting change. The webinar underscored the need for governments, development partners, and agricultural organizations to integrate women’s land rights into programmes and collaborate to build more equitable, productive, and nutrition-sensitive agrifood systems. 

Women’s secure access to land has the power to transform lives far beyond the farm. It can increase agricultural productivity, improve household nutrition, strengthen climate resilience, and enhance women’s decision-making power within families and communities. Yet across Africa, millions of women who play a central role in food production continue to face barriers to owning, accessing and controlling the land on which their livelihoods depend on. Closing this gap is not only a matter of gender equality; it is essential for achieving sustainable food systems, improving rural livelihoods, and fostering inclusive economic development. 

On 24th June, Tanager in partnership with Landesa hosted a webinar to explore why securing women’s land rights is a critical pathway to unlocking agricultural transformation and better nutrition outcomes. The webinar brought together experts working at the intersection of gender, nutrition and land governance to examine how strengthening women’s land rights can contribute to more productive, inclusive, and nutrition-sensitive agrifood systems. 

 

Why Women’s Land Rights Matter?

In her opening remarks, Dr. Catherine Macharia-Mutie, Technical Director for Food Systems at Tanager, emphasized that women’s land rights are intrinsically linked to agricultural productivity, household well-being, and better nutrition outcomes. 

“Secure access to land is not just about ownership; it is about enabling women to make decisions that improve agricultural productivity, food security, and nutrition for their families and communities,” said Dr. Macharia. 

She further emphasized on the importance of integrating gender- responsive and nutrition-sensitive approaches into agricultural programming, noting that access to productive resources such as land is critical for achieving sustainable development outcomes. 

 

Land Rights as a Catalyst for Development

Building on this foundation, Evelyne Nairesiae, Africa Regional Director at Landesa, demonstrated how secure land rights contribute to broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

“Land rights are foundational to reducing poverty, improving livelihoods, strengthening climate resilience, and advancing gender equality,” she explained. 

She further explained that secure tenure encourages farmers to invest in sustainable farming practices, improve land productivity, and build resilient livelihoods. Beyond agricultural benefits, secure land rights also contribute to better education, stronger household welfare, and broader economic development. 

 

Closing the Gap Between Women’s Contributions and Land Ownership

Esther Mwaura Muiru, Global Advocacy Director of the Stand for Her Land Campaign by Landesa, presented compelling evidence on the status of gender disparity and its implications for food security and economic development. 

“Women are the backbone of agricultural production across Africa, yet they own only a fraction of the land they cultivate. Meanwhile, secure land tenure enables women to increase productivity, access financial services, strengthen household nutrition, and enhance their resilience to climate shocks” she said. 

She stressed that addressing barriers to women’s land ownership is one of the most impactful investments governments and development partners can make, with benefits extending beyond individual households to entire communities and national economies. 

 

Turning Women’s Land Rights into Reality: Lessons from Kenya

While policies are important, translating women’s land rights into practice requires practical solutions. To put emphasis on this, Rachel Dinda, Land Tenure Specialist at Landesa shared practical lessons from Kenya on how they are addressing barriers women face in accessing and securing land rights. She highlighted approaches that bridge the gap between policy and practice, demonstrating how targeted interventions have strengthened women’s tenure security and promoted more equitable access to land. 

“Many women lose access to land through informal succession processes, lack of documentation, and limited awareness of their rights,” she explained. 

She further showcased how several innovative approaches including succession planning templates, community awareness campaigns, translation of legal documents into local languages, and trainings for local administrators and community leaders have helped women better understand and claim their land rights. 

Dinda attributed much of Landesa’s success to its focus on strengthening existing government systems rather than creating parallel structures. This on the other hand, requires institutions to be equipped to deliver equitable land governance, and communities understand how to claim their rights. 

 

Empowering Women Through Community-Based Solutions: Lessons from Tanzania

Drawing on experiences from Tanzania, Khadija Mrisho, Land Tenure Specialist at Landessa highlighted the importance of complementing policy reforms with community-level action. 

“Legal frameworks alone are not enough. Women need information, practical tools, and support systems that help them exercise and protect their rights,” she said. 

She further highlighted some of Landesa’s community-driven initiatives including village land-use planning, policy advocacy efforts, legal awareness campaign and digital tools that enable women access information and legal support. 

Mrisho also showcased some of the current efforts by Landesa to increase women’s participation in local land governance structures, ensuring their voices are represented in decision-making processes that affect access to and control over land. 

 

Partnerships for Resilient Food Systems

 

Closing the session, Bernadette Muyomi, Gender Expert at Tanager, challenged participants to reflect on how the lessons shared could be applied within their own institutions and programs. 

She encouraged agricultural organizations to integrate women’s land rights into their programming and explore partnerships that can accelerate progress toward more inclusive and equitable agrifood systems. 

As African countries continue to pursue agricultural transformation and food systems development, securing women’s land rights remains a topical issue. Empowering women with secure access to land not only strengthens livelihoods but also creates the conditions for improved nutrition, greater resilience, and sustainable economic growth.