Case Study Service Delivery Gender Tanzania

Raphael Group Limited: Building Gender Transformative Agricultural Supply Chains in Tanzania

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24 Nov 2025 • 6 minutes read

Summary

Raphael Group Limited (RGL), based in the Southern Highland region of Tanzania, implemented a highly inclusive business model through its consortium, Upper Southern Highlands Rice and Beans. The project expanded support for smallholder farmers (SHFs), with a particular emphasis on empowering women and youth. RGL focused on providing tailored services such as training, access to finance, and market linkages. A key feature of RGL's gender interventions was the creation and strengthening of 23 women-only SHF groups, reaching approximately 42,000 women farmers with specific services. As a result of these efforts, RGL saw significant increases in its rice and bean volumes, with an 87% increase in rice sourcing and a 163% increase in beans. By engaging more women farmers, who exhibited a higher credit repayment rate of 98% compared to 70% for men, RGL successfully scaled its business with lower risk.

How Does RGL Drive GTBM?

To address the root causes of gender inequality while supporting the implementation of its GTBM, RGL implemented the following gender interventions across the key components:

1. Gender Strategy

  • RGL set a strategic goal to engage 60% of women and youth SHFs (from a total base of 42,500 farmers), with a strong emphasis on gender equity as a key pillar for achieving sustainable agricultural development.
  • The company also incorporated gender-specific staff within its organisational structure to oversee and ensure the effective implementation of its gender interventions.     

2. Data collection

  • Supported by a Farm Management Information System (FMIS), RGL implemented gender-disaggregated data collection to track and monitor farmer reach, access to services, yields, and procurement.
  • RGL leveraged learnings from women-only groups, using these insights to promote knowledge exchange with other heterogeneous farmer groups, fostering greater collaboration and shared learning.

3. Inclusive Workplace

  • RGL created women-only groups, providing a safe space for women SHFs to work and learn. This initiative increased their access to collective resources such as land, inputs, and training, while also opening opportunities for additional revenue-generating activities like seed multiplication.

4. Inclusive Consultation

  • By creating women-only groups, collecting gender-disaggregated data, and maintaining regular contact via gender-specific staff, RGL gained a deeper understanding of the unique needs of women SHFs.

5. Adaptation for Inclusion 

  • RGL advanced credit to women’s groups, with a particular focus on beans farmers who traditionally struggle with access to finance.
  • The company partnered with banks to develop tailored financial products for women SHFs. By the end of the project, the product was ready for deployment at the bank.
  • RGL provided gender training at both farm and household levels. At the farm level, it focused on increasing women and youth participation in agricultural activities, ensuring women had access to and control over resources. At the household level, both women and men received training to encourage more equitable decision-making.
  • The company enhanced access to and control over credit inputs for women and youth (about 60% of its SHF base), empowering them to boost productivity and improve their financial stability and independence.

To articulate more effectively the gender interventions above, RGL implemented the innovative women-only farmers groups as illustrated below:

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  1. RGL identifies and recruits SHFs from the community to start a commercial engagement (i.e., provision of services and produce offtake).
  2. From the recruited SHF base, RGL organises groups of women-only SHFs.
  3. With the support of a gender expert, RGL provides a holistic package of services tailored for the women SHF groups.The company offtakes the produce from the women SHF groups and pays them (settling outstanding balances from the provided services).
  4. In parallel, RGL carries out a similar commercial engagement with other regular SHF groups (without any gender disaggregation).
  5. RGL distills lessons from the gender-disaggregated engagements while fostering learnings exchange between SHFs groups.

Achievements Made

RGL achieved several outcomes at both the company (business case) and farm level (impact case). These results stemmed from the interventions across key components, the specific innovations implemented, and the broader elements of the company's business model.

Business Case

  • Better procurement: Through its effective engagement with both women-only and mixed farmer groups, RGL increased its sourcing volume of rice and beans by 87% and 163%, respectively, during the 2022-2023 period. This growth was driven by improved service delivery, input financing (either direct or through tripartite financing), and training in good agricultural practices. Additionally, RGL’s enhanced procurement capacity boosted its regional trade footprint, growing from 3,200 MT to 9,000 MT in the same timeframe.
  • Lower risks: RGL reported lower credit losses in its engagement with women-only groups. The company's data shows that women have a repayment rate of 98%, compared to 70% for male farmers. Additionally, side-selling rates are significantly lower among women-only groups.
  • Enhanced relationships: RGL, coalition partners, and farmer groups all agree that women SHFs are better business partners. Evidence from interviews shows that women are more committed to adopting new GAPs and attending training, less likely to default on credit, and tend to make more sensible investments in household priorities. Women’s groups have also proven to be effective conduits for testing new innovations, such as seed multiplication.
  • Increased profit: Overall, RGL's GTBM and interventions proved profitable, with the company generating a cumulative net income of USD 53 million from rice and beans sales between 2019 and 2025. The GTBM contributed to this improved profitability through mechanisms such as increased sourcing volumes, enhanced service delivery, input financing, and better training for farmers.

Impact Case

  • Increased access to finance: Women farmers working with RGL experienced increased access to agricultural loans. Evidence from farmer organisations and banks indicates that this was due to women’s higher repayment rate and lower risk of default, making them more creditworthy than their male counterparts.
  • Enhanced women empowerment: RGL’s project strengthened and empowered women farmers, enhancing their position in the value chain. Interviews with women-only groups revealed positive outcomes, including increased income, greater control over resources, and improved influence in household decision-making.
  • Improved household dynamics: RGL provided gender training at the household level for both women and men, fostering a more equitable decision-making process and challenging traditional gender norms. Feedback from farmer organisations highlighted the training as pivotal in improving household decision-making dynamics.

Some of the outcomes of the impact case at farm level can be visualised in the chart below. The chart shows the changes experienced by women farmers working with RGL in the beans value chain over a 3-year period of commercial engagement. These changes highlight improvements across several categories, including: (a) increased access to quality inputs and finance, (b) increased crop production and sales, and (c) a reduction in crop losses.

Changes experienced by women farmers (beans)

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The chart above illustrates the changes reported by 53 women farmers (involved in the beans value chain) working with RGL over a 3-year period. It covers various performance categories at the farm level, including crop production and sales, climate resilience, and access to services. Notably, a decrease in crop losses is considered a positive outcome.     

Tips for Replication of GTBM Components

Context

  • Women-only groups are particularly effective in contexts where the collectivisation of farmers into groups is common, such as in Tanzania.

Best Practices

  • Incorporating a gender team or expert within the company's staff is essential to manage gender components of the GTBM, such as gender-disaggregated data analysis and tailored consultations.
  • Delivering training sessions through women staff enhances female farmer participation, as gender norms may limit women’s ability to interact with male trainers.
  • Establishing partnerships with financial institutions, preferably through tripartite financing agreements, and providing group-based tailored credit solutions for women are crucial for achieving financial inclusion.
  • Implementing a Farm Management Information System (FMIS) enables effective management of gender-disaggregated farmer data, performance monitoring, tracking needs, and tailoring services accordingly.
  • Women-only SHF groups should be geographically close to regular SHF groups to promote knowledge exchange, demonstrate the effectiveness of gender interventions, and encourage the participation of more women farmers.

Enabling Conditions

  • Prospective members of women-only groups should already be farmers to allow the company to focus on gender-specific issues, rather than starting from scratch with capacity building in farming.
  • Partnering with existing women’s collective groups helps the company strengthen and formalise established social structures, making interventions more effective and sustainable.
  • In contexts where gender norms require it, obtaining the consent and support of husbands or male family members is essential to ensure the successful implementation of women-only farmer group activities.

Outstanding Risks and Challenges 

  • Traditional financial institutions often view farming as a high-risk business due to a lack of sufficient collateral, which limits access to financing for women farmers. This creates a barrier to gender interventions such as input pre-financing, equipment rental, and payment for labour.
  • Climate-related risks, such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves, can lead to defaults and high credit losses, even with strong efforts from women farmer groups. While irrigation infrastructure and crop insurance can mitigate these risks, they require substantial investments from the company.
  • Companies may view the involvement of a gender expert or team as only a requirement for specific projects or grants. A lack of commitment from management can hinder the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of gender initiatives.