Brazilian women describe land as struggle today and hope for a better future for their children.

For them, land is life itself—health, food security, dignity, and sustainability.

It’s home: the place to live, raise families, and keep their culture alive.

A $1.7 trillion financing gap for women masks a $3 trillion GDP boost waiting to be unlocked by 2030.

Despite donor carrots—concessional loans, training, even “gender bonds”—banks under-lend to women as Basel-style risk rules make small, slower-growing firms look costly and low-margin, keeping utilization rates weak.

The U.S. Community Reinvestment Act offers a smarter path: channel capital through mission-driven CDFIs, pair subsidies with hard data, and hold banks accountable.

Adapting that architecture, countries can carve out community-led finance spaces that finally scale credit to women—and turn missed opportunity into inclusive growth.

Melinda French Gates argues that investing in women’s economic power isn’t a side issue—it could add 7% ($10 trillion) to global GDP by 2030. Gates Foundation

She spotlights the capital gap ($1.7 trillion) and shows how smart policy and digital public infrastructure—like India’s ID and payments systems—unlock accounts, control over income, and entrepreneurship at scale. Gates Foundation

Practical levers include affordable credit via women’s groups, direct wage deposits to women’s own accounts, and childcare—moves that raise participation and productivity; across 15 countries, better childcare alone could boost GDP by $1.2 trillion in five years. Gates Foundation

Bottom line: treat gender equality as core economic strategy, build inclusive DPI, finance women fairly, and watch resilience and growth follow.