On March 8, International Women’s Day, we rightly celebrate women’s leadership, achievements and the progress made toward equality.
But this day should also prompt discussion about the significant barriers women still face on the road to food security and climate resilience in too many countries around the world.
As a gender and protection advisor at Canadian Foodgrains Bank, I see every day how women are the foundation of household food security.
And yet, their contributions are often undervalued.
Women cultivate fields, walk long distances for water, stretch meagre harvests into meals, and keep their families safe and fed. When climate shocks hit, these responsibilities grow: droughts and floods increase unpaid labour, drive up food prices, and heighten risks of violence and exploitation.
Take, for example, Yemurai (a pseudonym), a widow in Nemakonde, Zimbabwe, who used to spend most of her days walking eight kilometres for water. She cut firewood to survive because erratic rainfall left her maize harvest well below what her family needed.
As the sole provider for her family, Yemurai wasn’t afraid to learn skills often seen as “men’s work,” such as beekeeping and carpentry.
Today, since participating in Foodgrains Bank’s Nature+ program, she maintains 15 beehives, has built financial confidence through a village savings and loan association, and has improved yields from her six conservation agriculture plots.
This program is funded by the Canadian government and implemented by TSURO Trust, the Zimbabwean partner of Foodgrains Bank member Alongside Hope, another Canadian development aid organization.
TSURO Trust also established a water source and communal garden just 15 minutes from Yemurai’s home, giving her time to focus on seed production, vegetable growing and water harvesting — opening new pathways for income and security.
Yemurai’s story is a testament to what can happen when we invest in women’s leadership.
“It is the story of a woman who was constantly reminded to stay in a box society created for her, but she saw an opportunity to soar higher and took it,” said Kudzai Parutu, a TSURO Trust gender officer and former human rights lawyer.
Gender violence
When women are missing from leadership structures or community committees, their priorities are overlooked — and adaptation efforts can miss the mark.
That’s why the Nature+ program integrates a community-first approach across ten local partners in four African countries.
Women are intentionally placed in leadership roles; community advisory committees uplift marginalized voices; and gender champions connect people to essential services.
But strong program designs can falter if we ignore the risk of violence. That’s why Nature+ pairs climate interventions with measures to reduce gender-based violence, including mapping confidential referral pathways, increasing safe access to markets, and organizing community gender dialogues with men and boys.
In Kenya, where Foodgrains Bank member ADRA Canada is supporting its local partner to implement the Nature+ program, gender officer Hellen Kasila has seen how gender equity directly strengthens the food systems families depend on.
“Addressing hunger is not just about increasing production; it’s about transforming gender relations at [the] household and community level … as joint planning improves, tension and violence reduce, and women gain more space to participate in decisions and leadership roles.”
Kamene (a pseudonym), who once experienced frequent conflict in her home, has experienced this transformation firsthand. She previously had little say in household decisions, limited control over farm produce, and at times left home for her safety.
“This situation affected not only her wellbeing, but also food production in her household,” said Kasila.
Through the Nature+ project, a female gender champion invited Kamene and her husband to begin a series of gender training sessions. Kamene’s husband started initiating joint decisions and taking on household tasks. As her workload eased and her voice grew, Kamene began participating freely in community activities.
When ADRA Kenya selected new conservation agriculture champions in 2025, the community elected her — and she now trains other farmers.
Their household food production has increased, even during drought, showing that climate resilience is strongest when women are safe and empowered.
“Women already carry immense knowledge, responsibility and resilience. Programs like Nature+ recognize women’s contribution in reducing barriers and creating opportunities for women to lead, Kasila advises.
This International Women’s Day, let’s honour women by investing in the safety and rights of those who shoulder the greatest burdens of climate challenges and financing their resilience.
Canada must continue supporting organizations that ensure the voiceless are heard, decisions are made by the people most affected, and programs strengthen entire households.
When our policies and development efforts are designed in this way, we build interventions that last. Because gender equality isn’t an add-on to resilient development — it is the foundation that makes change possible.
Canadian Foodgrains Bank is one of the sponsors of Canadian Affairs’ foreign aid reporting project, which you can read about here.
