The government of Zimbabwe is taking several steps to empower rural women in the country. These efforts are primarily focusing on enhancing women’s access to productive resources and promoting gender equality. Also, addressing the challenges rural women face in agriculture is an area of focus.
Rural women: Empowerment for development
Additionally, one of the key initiatives is the promotion of diversified food production and consumption, with a focus on nutrition education. The aim is improving food and nutrition security for rural women and girls. They currently face significant challenges in accessing productive resources as they are usually overlooked when it comes to development. However, the government of Zimbabwe through various programs is providing access to opportunities for rural women.
Moreso, the government’s introduction of the agric4she program is changing rural women’s lives. Agric4She is a Zimbabwean government program that empowers rural females in the agricultural sector. The program’s design is to enhance the economic and social status of rural women by providing them with access to agricultural resources, training and support.
Land ownership and financing.
Moreover, the government is also working on addressing the issue of land ownership for women. Despite the land reform program, only 10% of the land has been allocated to women. This falls short of the 20% quota stipulated in Zimbabwe’s Constitution. This is mainly due to cultural practices where land is only accessible to women through a patrilineal line. However, the government is working on finding solutions to fix these customary practices affecting women’s rights to security of tenure and land ownership.
Also, in terms of access to credit, the Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank is providing the required loans to rural women. Although the lack of collateral by women is still a challenge that needs to be addressed, the initiative is commendable.
The government is also focusing on addressing the challenges faced by rural women in agriculture. This move is in line with inclusivity of women in agriculture nationwide. Such as lack of access to markets, business development skills and labour-saving technologies. Incentives are being provided for successful rural female entrepreneurs, including support for achievement awards. Also, there is training for start-ups, and promotion of value addition and certification of their products.
Conclusion
Furthermore, the government is working on developing a gender analysis report and Gender Action Plan. This is in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Climate Promise initiative. This initiative aims to promote women’s full participation in climate change solution-building.
In conclusion, the government of Zimbabwe is making significant efforts to empower rural women in the country. These efforts focus on enhancing women’s access to productive resources, promoting gender equality and addressing the challenges faced by rural females in agriculture.
