Keypoints:
- Female market vendors link farmers to urban consumers across Benin
- GAIN’s PASIMA project shows women-led markets can improve fruit and vegetable consumption
- Investing in women vendors could help tackle Benin’s nutrition crisis
CAN a nation truly prosper when nine out of ten citizens lack permanent access to a healthy diet?
In Benin, the numbers paint a troubling picture. Around 32 percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth, while 58 percent of women aged 15 to 49 are anaemic — a silent crisis
Yet one of the most effective solutions may already exist in Benin’s local markets. Investing in female market vendors — the women who move fresh produce from farms to households — could significantly increase fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income families while strengthening the country’s food system.
Across the continent, experts increasingly argue that strengthening Africa’s agricultural transformation requires closer connections between smallholder farmers, markets and consumers.
Women’s invisible role in feeding Benin
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), roughly 70 percent of Benin’s female population lives in rural areas. These women carry out between 60 and 80 percent of agricultural labour and contribute up to 44 percent of the work required to feed their families.
Their responsibilities stretch far beyond farming. Women fetch water, collect firewood, process crops and prepare food for their households. They also plant, weed and harvest crops on family land while cultivating their own plots to supplement family nutrition and income.
In areas affected by male migration, women frequently become heads of households, assuming full responsibility for cultivating the family farm.
Women also dominate post-harvest activities — storing, processing and marketing agricultural products — yet much of this labour remains invisible in official economic statistics and is rarely captured in GDP calculations.
Why female market vendors matter for nutrition
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has been working to unlock this potential through its PASIMA project.
The initiative focuses on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption by strengthening the link between vegetable producers and consumers. A network of market gardeners supplies produce, while market facilitators coordinate distribution.
At the centre of this system are Last-Mile Vendors (LMVs) — women who sell vegetables in neighbourhood markets and connect rural producers with urban households.
Through PASIMA, more than 570 LMVs have been recruited across five cities: Cotonou, Seme-Kpodji, Zè, Porto-Novo and Abomey-Calavi. These women play a critical role in ensuring fresh produce reaches families that need it most.
Changing eating habits across communities
PASIMA has shown how empowering female vendors can influence dietary behaviour.
Over the past year, the programme organised 45 community outreach caravans and a nationwide media campaign, reaching more than 34,000 people across Benin. Nearly 17,000 direct interactions were recorded during these engagements.
The campaign introduced a cultural character known as ‘Nanavi’, described as a ‘warrior of the pots’. Nanavi encourages families to transform everyday meals into healthier dishes by incorporating more vegetables.
When women vendors are equipped with the right knowledge and messaging, they can influence how entire communities eat.
Digital tools empowering women vendors
Technology has also strengthened the vendor network.
Today, around 91 percent of orders between market facilitators and vendors are placed through phone calls, while 52 percent of payments are completed via mobile money.
These digital tools have helped professionalise small-scale food businesses and build trust between vendors and consumers. Through access to the Vegetable Business Network platform, vendors benefit from better supply coordination and improved business opportunities.
As a result, many vendors have reported increased turnover and more reliable access to fresh produce.
Infrastructure barriers slowing progress
Despite these gains, structural challenges remain.
During the 2025 campaign, administrative barriers prevented teams from accessing several modern marketplaces, forcing many activities to shift toward traditional markets.
Transport costs also remain a major obstacle. Approximately 89 percent of vegetable deliveries rely on motorbikes, increasing logistics expenses and raising the price of produce for low-income consumers.
These challenges highlight a key reality: while women vendors are driving change, they cannot overcome infrastructure gaps alone.
Turning women into food system leaders
For Benin’s food system transformation to succeed, policymakers must move beyond seeing women as passive beneficiaries.
Women should instead be recognised as active economic actors.
Evidence from PASIMA shows how powerful this shift can be. Some vendors have expanded their customer base from around 20 households to more than 75 in just a few months.
When a single vendor grows her business, hundreds of families gain better access to nutritious food.
Scaling the solution nationwide
Achieving a malnutrition-free Benin will require coordinated action.
Government ministries responsible for agriculture, commerce and health — alongside private sector partners — must invest in cold-chain logistics, affordable transport systems and improved marketplace infrastructure.
Scaling initiatives like PASIMA nationally could dramatically expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income households.
By empowering the ‘Nanavi’ of Benin — the women at the heart of local food markets — the country can ensure that nutritious food is not a privilege but a basic reality for every child.
Mrs Françoise Sayi has over 20 years’ experience in programme management and strategic leadership across Africa and holds master’s degrees in International Relations and Rural Development & Project Management
