This issue brief was developed under the Empowering women and boosting livelihoods through agricultural trade: Leveraging the AfCFTA programme, co-implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). It seeks to identify opportunities in regional trade for women in the soybean-to-poultry value chain under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in particular, and places a specific focus on the export potential and support to economic development in Malawi and South Africa.This issue brief presents a general overview of the potential for women’s participation in the soybean-to-poultry value chain. For more specific analysis on gender dynamics around women’s needs, constraints and interests along the value chain, this brief should be read alongside the complementary qualitative report which assesses women’s roles, barriers and trade potential with case studies from Malawi and South Africa.