Breaking Through Plateaus: IGNITE+ and the Productivity Promise of Gender and Nutrition Integration 

SUMMARY: Across sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural productivity growth remains constrained by systemic gender inequality and poor nutrition – factors that, when overlooked, deepen existing disparities and further limit growth. Since 2018, Tanager’s IGNITE initiative has supported over 35 African agriculture institutions to address these barriers by integrating gender and nutrition considerations across their policies, programs and operations. Now in its second phase, IGNITE+ is deepening systems impact by strengthening local capacity and shifting service delivery ownership directly to African actors. The integrated system aligns gender and nutrition goals within institutional strategies to design more inclusive, effective interventions that improve adoption and drive productivity growth. By positioning local institutions to drive demand for and delivery of technical assistance services as scale, IGNITE+ is demonstrating how investing in integrated approaches leads to better outcomes and fosters more productive, resilient, and equitable agricultural systems. 

Across sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural productivity growth remains constrained by systemic gender inequality and poor nutrition, creating significant productivity plateaus. Women, who represent two-thirds of agricultural labor, continually face limited access to productive resources, technology, and vital agronomic information. Concurrently, poor nutritional practices weaken the human capital essential for sustained productivity, innovation, and economic resilience. 

Research underscores the productivity potential unlocked by addressing these barriers. Studies indicate that closing gender gaps could increase yields by 20–30%, significantly raising overall agricultural output and reducing global hunger. Additionally, gender-sensitive interventions have proven particularly effective, enhancing the adoption of additional improved agricultural practices and driving productivity gains at the farm level. 

Since 2018, Tanager’s IGNITE initiative has partnered with 35 African agricultural institutions (AAIs) who span interventions in more than 18 countries, systematically integrating gender and nutrition into their core operations. Institutions have adopted dedicated gender and nutrition experts, budgets, policies, and programmatic strategies, initiating substantial institutional transformation. IGNITE’s gender-sensitive extension services, including women-specific training programs, have demonstrably increased women farmers’ access to critical agricultural knowledge and adoption of productivity-enhancing practices. 

Building on these successes, IGNITE+ deepens system integration by fostering robust networks of local service providers (LSPs) to ensure sustained institutional support. Currently, IGNITE+ collaborates with AAIs across five countries, including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and newly added Kenya, ranging from governmental agencies, NGOs, and agribusinesses to farmer organizations. 

IGNITE+ employs a strategic localization approach, empowering local institutions and service providers to independently deliver high-quality gender and nutrition technical assistance. By equipping local actors with monitoring and evaluation tools designed to quantify impacts at the farmer level, IGNITE+ ensures measurable accountability and continual improvement in productivity. 

This integrated, systems-based approach is vital for addressing productivity stagnation. By embedding gender and nutrition at the heart of agricultural systems, IGNITE+ fosters equitable growth, sustainably breaks productivity plateaus, and positions sub-Saharan Africa on a resilient path toward continuous agricultural advancement. 

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