By Beverly Bizeki
Though there are calls and steps towards women empowerment in agriculture, the field is still dominated by men as evidenced by the number of farm or plot holders.
However, Zimbabwe Women Agribusiness Network (ZWAN), an organisation with the mandate to change women’s lives through business farming’s executive director Phillipa Jaya said she is a woman on a mission to change the narrative and ensure that women are deeply involved in agriculture.
The 48-year-old Jaya said her wish to unlock the potential in women and girls whilst empowering them to alleviate poverty is what has motivated her to get involved in agribusiness as she grew up in a family of farmers and has become a farmer herself.
“The desire to unlock the potential in women and girls in farming and business to alleviate poverty in rural communities is what has motivated me to get involved in agribusiness and this led to the establishment of ZWAN. The goal for ZWAN is to empower women through farming, strategic linkages and organized farmer groups
“ZWAN came as a result of trying to find a solution for ending the various challenges women are facing which I thought would be solved through agribusiness farming. This was backed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision through the Ministry of Agriculture to create opportunities for women to take part in agribusiness that resulted in the formation of this organisation,” said Jaya.
Jaya said the organisation was meant to help women in encountering challenges they face in accessing land, getting opportunities for agricultural training and in most cases they lack the financial resources to support their agricultural activities so ZWAN intends to help in that regard.
“Some of the challenges that women are facing in agriculture include limited access to land, fewer opportunities for education and access to agricultural training and extension services relative to men as well as domestic violence.
“Women face challenges of limited access and knowledge on farming, limited access to credit and other financial service. These are the challenges that we hope to address as an organisation to increase women’s capabilities and ensure they increase their yields too,’ said Jaya.
To address the financial challenges and lack of resources affecting women in agriculture, the organisation is calling for government, donors, civic society organizations and the private sector to assist women and youths projects.
To address the gap that women face in terms of knowledge on markets and other issues women face in agriculture, ZWAN is working on an online application to enable networking for potential buyers.
“Technology is very crucial in advancing women in agribusiness. It has the potential to raise agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and improve the food and nutrition security. Technology brings female farmers closer to the market and along those lines ZWAN is currently working on an online application to profile women in agribusiness and provide a platform for them to mix and mingle with potential buyers,’ said Jaya.
Jaya said her organisation is moving in line with government’s principles in ensuring sustainable farming practices and environmental conservation in farming activities.
“ZWAN is in 100 percent support of the government’s pfumvudza initiative through MoLAFWRD and intends to increase women’s access to resources such as land (through encouraging to utilize joint venture), water, inputs (through advocating for support in presidential inputs scheme) and also providing education and training on farming. The organisation has already started training with over 50 women trained on fruit tree and mushroom farming in Wendedzo in Masvingo,” said Jaya.
Those that were trained have already started accessing credit facilities from banks for funding for mushroom and poultry projects.
