We Effect has released a new discussion paper, From Individual to Collective: The Power and Potential of Cooperatives to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Cotton Sector highlighting how collective action can transform the role of women in cotton value chains across Southern and Eastern Africa. While women contribute significantly to cotton production from planting to post-harvest handling, they often lack control over contracts, income and key productive assets. The paper argues that without deliberate gender-transformative strategies, cotton systems risk continuing to rely on women’s labor while denying them economic power.
The publication makes a clear case that when women organize through inclusive and well-governed cooperatives, they gain access to inputs, credit and markets, strengthen their bargaining power, and increase transparency in pricing and payments
Through the Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Cotton Value Chain (WEECVC) programme, implemented in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, We Effect supports a holistic model linking cooperatives with savings groups to strengthen women’s agency, leadership and resilience.
In Malawi, for example, the VSLA+ model connects digital savings groups to cotton cooperatives, enabling women to purchase inputs independently and diversify income streams
The paper calls on governments and donors to invest in women-led cooperative models and reform policies to ensure fair, transparent and inclusive cotton markets.
Download and read the paper from our website using this link: https://www.weeffect.org/publications/