Socio-Economic Assessment of the Agriculture Sector and the Bioeconomy in East Africa—A Gender-Focused Approach

Data on social dimensions of the bioeconomy, particularly gender equity and poverty, two core Sustainable Development Goals, remains limited and difficult to operationalise. This paper presents a desk-based assessment of social risks related to gender inequality and working conditions in agriculture, using the Social Hotspot Database (2021) alongside sectoral data on cereals, wheat, and paddy rice. Agriculture was examined as a key component of the bioeconomy in five East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, all signatories of the East Africa Regional Bioeconomy Strategy. Additional data from FAO and ILO were incorporated to strengthen the analysis. Results indicate persistent gender inequality, with women continuing to face systemic disadvantages compared to men in agricultural production, potentially constraining the development of a sustainable bioeconomy in the region. Regarding working conditions, all countries demonstrated high risks of failing to achieve living wages, leaving many workers in poverty. However, a significant limitation lies in the absence of sex disaggregated data and datasets explicitly addressing bioenergy or the bioeconomy. Evidence from international organisations suggests that restricted access to education, limited financial resources, and enduring cultural norms exacerbate the gender gap in agriculture. This paper concludes that advancing education, expanding access to finance, and strengthening gender parity are critical pathways to mitigate social risks and to support inclusive bioeconomy development in East Africa.