Building Inclusive Solutions for Persons with Disabilities in Agribusiness

Photo credit: GIZ AgriBiz/Henry Cofie Fordi, GIZ/Florent Banissa, GIZ/FLMH

In a world that increasingly celebrates diversity, the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) remains a significant challenge, particularly in sectors like agribusiness, where these individuals are often overlooked. The International Day for Persons with Disabilities serves as a reminder of these barriers and an opportunity to reflect on how inclusive practices can be integrated into sectors like agribusiness to create a more accessible, just, and inclusive world for all.

There are over 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide, with 80% living in low- and middle-income countries. These individuals often face significant barriers to accessing resources, education, and employment. Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience poverty, food insecurity, and violence. Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable, as one in five women globally lives with a disability, making them one of the most marginalized groups. The lack of access to education, healthcare, and employment deepens these disparities. In sectors like agriculture, where the economy and food security are heavily reliant on human resources, this exclusion is especially harmful.

As the world strives for greater inclusion, it is vital to uphold the guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: "leaving no one behind." Achieving global development goals in the long term requires inclusive development, which is not a luxury but a necessity.

In this context, the German Cooperation projects, the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) and the Global Programme on Inclusion with Disabilities (GV Inclusion), are working to leverage resources across projects, integrate knowledge, and address challenges together, with the goal of developing integrated solutions.

In collaboration with the NGO Südwind, ABF and GV Inclusion have developed training materials to raise awareness about the importance and opportunities of including PwD in agribusiness. These materials aim to sensitize trainers to the unique challenges faced by PwD and ensure that inclusive practices are embedded in agribusiness training. ABF is making significant strides by integrating the sensitization for disability inclusion into its Training of Trainers (ToT) programs in 2025. As part of these efforts, a handout with general recommendations for raising awareness about inclusion of PwD in agribusiness training will be distributed, alongside a more inclusive design for new courses of Agribusiness e-Academy on Atingi.

To mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) - Ghana is organising a Brown Bag Lunch themed: Disability inclusion in the project cycle; experience sharing from the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) project on 3rd December 2024 at 1:00 PM (GMT) via Teams link.