Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations
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Women beneficiaries lead the way on farming at Nyanga field day
Field days are a common practice in Zimbabwe’s agricultural communities. As women are fully engaged in productive activities, these days help to showcase good crops and provide a platform to extend ILO-supported technical advice on farming practices.
About a hundred people gathered on a Thursday morning for the Field Day which was taking place at the Joint Programme for Gender Equality (JPGE) project site in Nyarumvurwe, about 20km from Nyanga centre (269km from Harare). The group comprised amongst others: 60 women who are the project beneficiaries; some spouses and family members; two village heads; the Assistant District Administrator for Nyanga; officials from government – mainly Agritex Officers and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender, and Community Development (MWAGCD), and ILO officials.
Making remarks at the event, the District Administrator said: ‘it is evident that the beneficiaries now own the project. This ensures sustainability after the initial injection of inputs and infrastructure development by the JPGE project. We are happy that this project is contributing towards the fulfillment of two pillars of the national development framework ZIMASSET: Pillar 1 Food Security and Nutrition and Pillar 2 and Social Services and Poverty Reduction.’
Each of the 60 beneficiaries stood by their crop of onion on the 3.7 hectares of land under production to respond to any questions or clarifications from the Judges. They each were allocated 0.05 hectares at the beginning of the project not only to induce competition among them, but as a way of empowering them because, ordinarily, in the patriarchal set up of rural Zimbabwe, women do not own assets, let alone land.
Adding his voice before sharing the results on behalf of the team of five Agritex Officers who were adjudicating the process, the AGRITEX District Official encouraged the women farmers by saying ‘…with the installation of an irrigation system, you have no reason not to produce crops throughout the year and increase productivity. Maximize and fully utilize this opportunity which many of your counterparts have missed out on. You know that the country’s economy is agro-based and the prospects of economic prosperity through farming are high if you keep working hard.’ He went on to point out some good farming practices, as:
Following the schedules and times given by the Agritex Officers in the production cycle. Most crops are sensitive to weather changes which affects their growth and quality, and ultimately the yield as well;
Appropriate watering was key for a successful crop. Too much or too little water, particularly after application of fertilizer means that essential nutrients might be washed away in the process of watering. This may be reflected by a thriving crop on one end of a bed whilst the rest of the crop is weak;
Avoiding taking advice from lay people in the community or from the seed and inputs suppliers, whose interest might be driven by the motive to sell more of their products;
When applying fertilizer or spacing seed, it is important to be precise in following instructions because deviating by putting too little or too much might compromise the crop.
The best ten contestants were awarded prizes at the end of the day with the Judges basing their marks on various criteria, such as presentation and spacing; pest management, use of fertilizers, water management and uniformity of the crop. Prizes that were awarded consisted of a rain coat and participation at the annual national Harare Agricultural Show for the first prize; a shovel, gum boots, hoes and kitchen utensils.
A male champion and spouse to one of the beneficiaries was effusive in his comment on the project: ‘As a family we have benefited from the variety of training received through this project. We are able to apply the knowledge on our own family plot and we have observed an increase in our production and are taking our farming as a business. Be assured that the knowledge shared by the AGRITEX Officer through our wives, will be shared with the rest of the community. As male champions, we shall preach the gospel of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality in the home and in communities. We are prepared to take this to other villages and the country at large!’
Innovation and Project intervention
The women have been innovative to ensure that they have a reserve fund by forming Internal Savings and Lending (ISALs) groups comprising 5 to 10 women. It is mainly from the savings of ISALS that the women are able to fund inputs for the next crop and activities, such as the field day.
In her remarks, Ms Ida Chimedza, the ILO representative and project coordinator, acknowledged and commended the women for their hard work and encouraged them to take heed of the technical advice that comes through the various technical partnerships facilitated through the JPGE project. In going forward, the ILO promised to work with beneficiaries to strengthen three areas: scaling-up of productivity; diversification of products; and value addition and marketing.
The village head, Sabhuku Makore, in his closing remarks and vote of thanks, encouraged the women not to tire and continue working together in the project. As part of the local leadership, they had observed that small talk, gossip, and conflicts had reduced significantly in the community due to the women’s productive occupation in the project. He thanked all the people for their presence and the support given to the women.
The day’s programme was punctuated by some entertainment provided by the beneficiaries in the form of song and dance; drama presentation; and a news bulletin presentation. In the short play presented, the beneficiaries presented scenarios of two families, in one case, the husband was very supportive of his wife’s participation in the project and the positive results this had on the family. In contrast, the husband in the second family was against his wife’s participation in the JPGE project hence she was not fully present and this compromised the outcome of her crop. But, in the end, the economic empowerment and social progress made by the first family motivated the husband in the second family to change his ways and to encourage and support his wife’s participation in the project.
