{"id":7788,"date":"2025-04-15T06:29:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T06:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gracamacheltrust.org\/?p=7788"},"modified":"2026-01-23T01:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T23:42:31","slug":"how-women-in-agribusiness-are-breaking-market-access-barriers-and-claiming-their-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/featured\/how-women-in-agribusiness-are-breaking-market-access-barriers-and-claiming-their-space\/","title":{"rendered":"How women in agribusiness are breaking market access barriers and claiming their space"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Women play a critical role in agricultural production, significantly contributing to food security, rural development, and community resilience. Despite this, they remain largely excluded from agribusiness opportunities and formal markets due to structural inequalities, limited market information, and deep-rooted gender biases. The Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust facilitates inclusive and sustainable trade by enabling women agri-preneurs to directly engage with market players, gain insights on procurement requirements, and effectively navigate the business landscape. Recent Provincial market access workshops in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng illustrate these initiatives, providing tangible pathways for women entrepreneurs to enter local supply chains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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From talk to transformation: Market access in action<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Eastern Cape, 23 women entrepreneurs gathered at the Regent ICC in East London, engaging directly with the leadership of Buffalo City Metro\u2019s Fresh Produce Market. A key highlight was the introduction of Food Hubs which caters \u00a0for small-scale producers. Tandi Hopa, Founder of Riverbend Farming in East London, emphasised the transformative potential of these hubs:<\/p>\n

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\u201cInstead of farmers being price-takers when they deliver produce to market agents, they can now bring their produce to the food hub and set their prices. We accommodate smaller volumes tailored for household consumption, empowering farmers to take control of their pricing. Our goal is also to establish satellite markets at the village and regional levels, overcoming transportation barriers and enabling farmers to sell directly within their communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Participants openly discussed challenges such as supply-demand mismatches, inconsistent production, and limited market visibility due to established networks. The collaborative spirit emerged as entrepreneurs committed to joint production models and recognised Food Hubs as a crucial stepping stone to market inclusion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In Johannesburg, women entrepreneurs toured the Jo\u2019burg Fresh Produce Market, hosted by Green Tree Agents (Pty). The visit offered firsthand insights into quality standards, food safety protocols, and financing options\u2014clarifying the procurement process and the practical tools needed to meet buyer expectations.<\/p>\n

Sibongile Cele, founder of Green Tree Agents and one of the entrepreneurs in the GMT project, drew from her own experience to share this valuable advice:<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne mistake women entrepreneurs often make is undervaluing their produce or not fully understanding market demands. Entrepreneurs should clearly understand quality standards, price competitively, and prioritise consistency in production to build long-term relationships with buyers.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo: Women agri-preneurs explore Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, gaining practical knowledge about quality standards and procurement processes.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Photo: Entrepreneurs and market stakeholders networking to create meaningful connections and forge pathways toward inclusive and equitable trade.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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By creating shared spaces for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration, the project is driving sustainable change for women in agribusiness.<\/p>\n

Women have the will, the skill, and the product. What they need is access. Through strategic partnerships and targeted interventions, the Trust is helping to level the playing field\u2014making it fair for all.<\/p>\n

Lehlogonolo Ratlabyana, Programme Officer at the Trust, highlighted: \u00a0\u201cAccess to capital and land ownership remain significant barriers for women entrepreneurs. So we need intentional, gender sensitive reforms to help women grow their businesses and scale them. \u00a0The project continues to create meaningful opportunities, driving lasting economic transformation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Photo: Women entrepreneurs tour a packaging and retail distribution warehouse, guided by an industry expert who explains critical insights into market distribution processes\u2014equipping them to effectively navigate the agribusiness value chain and enhance their market readiness<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Photo: A vibrant showcase of fresh produce presented by women entrepreneurs, demonstrating their readiness and capacity to engage in formal agribusiness markets.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women play a critical role in agricultural production, significantly contributing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_rtcl_gb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[742,4,81,6,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","category-featured","category-highlight","category-uncategorized","category-womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}