In this issue brief, the second in Root Capital’s Issue Brief Series, we share our experience of applying a gender lens
to our work in smallholder agricultural finance. Through our Women in Agriculture Initiative, we have been able to better understand the areas in which we know we support women (as farmers, agro-processing employees, and leaders).
This work has also identified new areas for potential impact that further foster economic empowerment for women, underscoring the vital nature of women in less conspicuous — but high-impact — roles and positions. We call these protagonists “hidden influencers,” and in agriculture they include midlevel managers at agricultural businesses, agronomists, leaders of farmer networks, and agrodealers.

While much of the discussion to date among impact investors and development practitioners has been focused on the two ends of the spectrum – women as leaders and women at the base of the economic pyramid – we have seen that women in the middle play critical roles. We seek to expand the dialogue in impact investing and international development to document, celebrate, and support these hidden influencers.