Sustainable development has traditionally neglected the contributions of women until recently. Government and institutions in developing countries, as well as foreign aid agencies, are just beginning to realize the important roles filled by women as farmers, entrepreneurs, food providers, educators, and role models in developing countries and are attempting to integrate women into nongovernmental organization projects and voluntary organization programs. According to James and his contributors, women should not be just acknowledged, they must be included in the planning, construction, implementation, and operation of development schemes in Africa in order for development to be successful and widespread.

Women must be included in the planning, construction, implementation, and operation of development schemes in Africa in order for development to be successful and widespread.

Introduction - Sustaining Women's Efforts in Africa's Development by Valentine Udoh James; The Current and Future Directions for African Women Farmers by Valentine Udoh James and Melanie Marshall James; Listening to and Learning From African Women Farmers by Mary Theresa Picard; Designing Gender Specific Interventions in Zaire - A Social Science Perspective by Gloria Braxton; Socio-Cultural Aspects of Ethiopian Women's Contributions to Agriculture by Barbara A. Dicks and Eddle Senay Bogale; Women in Commercial Agriculture - The Cocoa Economy of Southern Ghana by Benjamin Asare; Participation of Rural Women in Malawi National Rural Development Program by Grace Margaret Malindi; Increasing Female Household-Head Participation in Agricultural Extension in Malawi by Vickie A. Sigman; Agrarian Women and Indigenous Textile Industry in Nigeria by Amakievi O.I. Gabriel and Augustine A. Ikein; African Women in Production - The Economic Role of Rural Women by Jonathan Nwomonoh.