Figures reveal that 65% of farmers receiving support under Higherlife Foundation’s Climate Smart Agriculture Program are women.
This translates to 7,150 women out of the 11,000 farmers receiving inputs and technical support.
The numbers are not a coincidence. They are a result of deliberate program design and decision-making.
Reimagine Rural Africa General Manager, Barbara Chivandire, said the recruitment process was meant to address legacy gender imbalances in African agriculture.
“Statistics in Rural Africa show that 65% of the workforce working the land to produce over 50% of the food is women and girls. Despite this, they often receive less access to support and inputs.
“Because of this, we deliberately sought to empower more women in terms of receiving technical training, entrepreneurial skills, extension services support and catalytic inputs,” said Chivandire.
The approach also aligns with the organisational vision, in which deliberate strategies to alleviate poverty are adopted.
“Our approach was to target more women in recognition of the critical role they are playing in increasing national food output. As Ms Tanya Masiyiwa says, ‘if you empower a woman, there is a greater chance of a family being lifted out of poverty.’ This is why we adopted this approach,” said Chivandire.
