The roles of the African rural woman oscillate between being chief nutritionist, head chef, nurse in charge as well and in some cases, the sole provider.
Sharon Mutale provides extension services under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. She explains that most rural women continue to fall back in decision-making and access to credit.
“When it comes to financial decision-making; for example a
widow who has no husband to support her , so because she has no financial
support she’ll marry off their child so that she has something …but again even
if she is married it’s always the man who has the financial say,” Sharon says.
Sharon’s explanation is evidence of rural women’s lack of access
to credit and lack of decision-making power.
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| Sharon Mutale - Livestock Technician |
Elina Hall is a Senior Livestock Production Officer under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. She added that this has generated an attitude in women to believe that because they do not have the same amount of power as men, they therefore cannot engage in the same kind of farming activities as men.
“Sometimes even when you call for training, the turn out
from women is not so good sometimes because they are caught up in household chores,”
Elina explained.
These multiple roles that the rural woman farmer plays sometimes hinder her opportunities for income generating activities.
Training is one of those essential opportunities that the
rural woman can be empowered and generate the needed self-confidence to participate
in income generating.
Grace Phiri is 52 year old single mother of 2 children who, like many other women farmers was limited to subsistence crop farming and keeping small livestock. However, through the help of her extension service providers, she has had access to forage production and utilization training through which she has been contracted as a forage and pasture seed grower under a government programme called the Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme (E-SLIP).
In an effort to establish a sustainable forage seed market,
E-SLIP’s Livestock Production and Productivity Unit has been engaging in activities
aimed at developing contract seed production and an associated buy-back
programme so as to build the capacity of rural farmers to produce, utilize and
preserve forage seed.
“2019 was when I first received forage seed from E-SLIP. The
first year I had a challenge so my yield did not do so well,” Grace disclosed.
She explained that this was because she was unsure of how
lucrative forage seed production would be to begin with and hence was reluctant
to invest too much of her time and energy into it. However, from what she planted,
she was able to foresee an increase the amount of income she could generate.
“In the first year[2019/2020] I planted 50kg velvet beans
and 25kg for sun hemp…but in my second year I planted 100kg velvet and sun hemp
I planted 50kg and I even included cowpeas,” Grace said.
As the household bread winner, Grace has managed to send on
eldest child to study a diploma in teaching while her youngest is completing
her secondary school education all thanks to her access to training in an
alternative income generating activity.
The International Day of Rural Women commemorated annually on 15 October and the this year's theme is Rural women cultivating good for all and it highlights the role that women and girls play in food systems of the world.
Women compose a significant amount of labor in food production, processing and preparation and hence their empowerment is critical in enhancing food security.
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