Unlocking resilience: the overlooked nexus of gender-responsive finance, climate-smart agriculture, and women-led Agri-SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review

Climate change poses severe biophysical and economic risks to Sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) agricultural sector, where women provide 60–80% of food production but face systemic structural barriers to resilience. This systematic review evaluates the empirical intersection of gender-responsive finance, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), and women-led Agri-SMEs to construct an integrated investment framework. Following PRISMA, 2020 guidelines, a search of Scopus, Web of Science, Google, and Google Scholar was conducted for studies published between 1985 and 2026. From 650 identified records, 289 high-quality studies were synthesized using qualitative content analysis. Findings reveal a staggering USD 15.6 billion financing gap for women-owned Agri-SMEs and a significant disparity in CSA adoption (40–55% for females vs. 55–70% for males). Critically, the review identifies that previous research has treated gender finance, CSA, and SME growth in isolation, creating a policy blind spot that overlooks the 20–30% yield increase possible when women control resources. Successful implementation cannot be achieved through public finance alone; it requires collaborative Finance Plus strategies where governments and NGOs work together to invest in Women-Led Organizations. These organizations are essential conduits for localized trust and gender-specific expertise, bridging the gap between institutional capital and the practical needs of entrepreneurs. It is recommended that future studies and policies prioritize this integrated nexus, specifically supporting women-led Agri-SMEs to ensure durable, equitable climate resilience across the region.