21 April 2026
On the 21st of April 2026, FANRPAN participated in the Women.Talk.Agribusiness (WTA) programme hosted at the German Embassy in Pretoria, bringing together women farmers and agribusiness leaders from Germany and South Africa to strengthen dialogue on trade, market access, and collaboration.
The WTA programme serves as a global platform for peer learning, knowledge exchange, and partnership building among women in the agri-food sector. The 2026 edition brought together a diverse, multi-stakeholder delegation, creating a dynamic space to address systemic barriers and unlock opportunities for women across agricultural value chains.
Representing FANRPAN, Dr. Rachel Mkandawire contributed to a panel discussion on women’s inclusion in agribusiness and agricultural policy. She emphasised the need to move beyond policy commitments toward effective implementation, noting that while gender-responsive frameworks exist, their effectiveness depends on deliberate, accountable, and context-specific execution of how they are operationalised in practice.
During the engagement, Enrico Brandt, Deputy Ambassador of Germany, underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral trade relations between Germany and South Africa, with a particular focus on expanding opportunities for women. He underscored the persistent structural constraints limiting women’s participation in higher-value markets and international trade, despite their central role in agriculture. Strengthening access to finance, markets, and institutional support emerged as key priorities.
The platform also created space for bilateral exchanges between German and South African women farmers, fostering knowledge sharing and strengthening partnerships to empower women in agriculture.
Through its engagement, FANRPAN continues to champion gender-responsive policies and investments that enable women to fully participate in and benefit from local, regional, and global agrifood markets.