The Business Case for Women's Employment in Agribusiness
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The Business Case for Women's Employment in Agribusiness September 2016 ABOUT IFC IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on leveraging the power of the private sector to tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. Working with private enterprises in more than 100 countries, IFC uses its capital, expertise and influence to help eliminate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication, The Business Case for Women’s Employment in Agribusiness, was produced by the IFC Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services Department and the IFC Gender Secretariat. It was developed under the general guidance of Directors Alzbeta Klein and Sergio Pimenta, and Gender Secretariat Head Henriette Kolb. The core team was led by James Emery and Carmen Niethammer, and also included Amy Luinstra and Sarah Twigg. The report was drafted by a team from Ergon Associates led by Kirsten Newitt and Alastair Usher, supported by Pins Brown, as well as Ariane Hegewisch of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Funding for the report was provided by The Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), a World Bank Group multi-donor trust fund expanding evidence, knowledge and data needed to identify and address key gaps between men and women to deliver better development solutions that boost prosperity and increase opportunity for all. The UFGE has received generous contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Inclusion of the SolTuna case study was made possible by the work done under the IFC Pacific WINvest Advisory Services Project for which the main funder is the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as funds from the World Bank Group’s Umbrella Trust Fund for Jobs, and SolTuna. The case studies underpinning the report were completed with the active collaboration of the five case study companies and our principal counterparts: Roy Fine and Johan van Wyk at Afrifresh; Maria Paula Curto, Mara Pinheiro, and Rachel Carneiro de Sousa at Biosev; Marthinus Stander and Marius Steyn at Supreme Poultry; Le Thi Le Hang, Nguyen Quang Truong, and Pham Trung Dung at Vinaseed; and Jim Alexander and Adrian Wickham at SolTuna. The extended team involved in the report included IFC relationship managers and investment staff Luiz Daniel de Campos, Vengai Chigudu, Anh Phuong Luu Dang, Konrad Huber, Anup Jagwani, Tania Kaddeche, Ken Osei, and Eric Shayer, as well as Nathalie Hoffmann, Gene Moses, Elizabeth Price, Irina Sarchenko, Hala Sherif, and Bruce Wise, who provided general support and advice. The report also benefits from the useful insights provided by Dalia Bahous, Diana Baird, Benedicte Leroy De La Briere, Namita Datta, Isis Gaddis, Rijak Grover, Alicia S. Hammond, Katherine C. Heller, Aphichoke Kotikula, Sofie Fleischer Michaelsen, Rudaba Nasir, Jannina Flores Ramirez, Alexa Roscoe, Henri Rachid Sfeir, and Sanna Liisa Taivalmaa. The report was designed by Borys Mar. DISCLAIMER IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. This report was commissioned by IFC’s Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services Department in partnership with IFC’s Gender Secretariat, which works with IFC clients to reduce gaps in economic opportunity between women and men in the private sector while enabling companies and economies to improve their performance. For more information about IFC’s gender work, please visit www.ifc.org/gender. IFC does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the content included in this work, or for the conclusions, or judgments described herein, and accepts no responsibility or liability for any omissions or errors (including, without limitation, typographical errors and technical errors) in the content whatsoever or for reliance thereon. 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Additionally, “International Finance Corporation” and “IFC” are registered trademarks of IFC and are protected under international law. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS © International Finance Corporation 2017. All rights reserved. The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. COVER PHOTO © Biosev The Business Case for Women's Employment in Agribusiness This report was prepared by IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, as part of a work program on women’s employment in agribusiness funded by the World Bank Group’s Private Sector Window of the Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................................................6 FOREWORD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................9 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Investing in women’s employment at different points in the agribusiness value chain .................................................................12 Structure of this publication .............................................................................................................................................................................13 PART I: OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 The (agri)business case for investing in women’s employment .............................................................................................................15 Strengthening human capital outcomes ................................................................................................................................................. 16 Fueling higher levels of performance and innovation through diversity ....................................................................................... 19 Improved productivity, yield and product quality .................................................................................................................................21 Reducing costs by addressing sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) ..............................................................22 Increasing resilience through inclusivity ................................................................................................................................................. 23 Meeting entry requirements to (higher value) markets ..................................................................................................................... 23 Enhanced reputation with buyers, investors, and consumers ..........................................................................................................24 Developing stronger relations with local communities ......................................................................................................................25 Identifying linkages between support for women workers and business benefits for agribusiness companies ..............26 How agribusiness companies support women workers ........................................................................................................................27 Creating formal employment for women (and men) in rural areas ...............................................................................................27 Establishing stronger HR management systems and worker–management communication ..............................................27 Enhancing career pathways ........................................................................................................................................................................29 Creating safer and more secure working environments ...................................................................................................................34 Investing