True or Not, so What, #10

In Rwanda, one out of every five coffee growers is a woman.

True
It’s true, and 80% of these women are widows and older women. Productivity is lower on their farms than on farms tended by male heads of household. (Source: Maria Claudia Lopez, What are the differences between male and female heads of household who produce coffee in Rwanda? FSP AGLC Backgrounder 9)

so What?
Female coffee growers are more likely to hire labor to perform pruning, stumping, and fertilizer application. This added costs put them at a disadvantage compared to men who can perform these activities themselves. Coffee farming requires access to resources that women lack, including land, money, and time. This unequal access limits women’s ability to invest in their coffee production.