It’s all good and well to celebrate the victories of women in the farming sector. Not so much to deny the challenges – often disproportionate to the challenges of men – that still exist, some of them say.
With Women’s Month now once again in the past, four women from across the agri value chain tell Food For Mzansi that the struggle is very real for them, and that superficial celebrations are simply not enough to bring change. These are their stories.
Fighting for women on farms
Life on farms can be harsh, and this a reality that labour rights programme coordinator at the Women on Farms Project (WFP), Denile Samuel, knows all too well. This is why she chooses to fight for the rights of farmworkers and their children.
WFP is a feminist organisation that works with women who live and work on commercial farms. They empower farm women through rights-based capacity building and enable farm women to know and claim their rights.
Working on farms, Samuel has seen it all: from labour rights violations and poor health to violence, evictions and even food insecurity. But Samuel is often reminded why exactly the work of WFP is important.
“Just two weeks ago, on a farm in Paarl, children of farmworkers were walking from school to the farm and were nearly abducted.”
It’s a five-kilometre walk to and from school and, while walking home, they were chased by a man in a car. Fearing for their lives, they ran into a nearby river.
“One of [the children] nearly drowned but [the] others assisted her. These children were traumatised and went home just after 17:00 because they were hiding [the entire time],” Samuel says.
Thanks to it being in the off season, parents have since been able to escort the children to and from school. “No one knows what will happen when [the parents] go back to the farms in October.”
Samuel says every farmworker child should be transported to school and back. Safe and reliable public transport for farmworkers and children should be a priority, she states.
“Government services need to be more accessible in rural areas. Also, the issues of women on farms [should] not only be addressed during the month of August but throughout the year.”
Red tape and access to infrastructure
Maureen Chisane in Gauteng has three decades worth of farming experience cultivating crops for various markets.
Almost 20 years ago, Chisane had the opportunity to farm flowers and had a reliable market in place – funeral parlours. The red tape around accessing land became too much, however, and it killed her dream.
“Our government sent me from pillar to post and I could not continue with that project.”
Chisane believes that, if she had been given the land at that time, she would have taken it very far in her farming journey.
Yet today, Chisane farms spinach on only five hectares of land, where she is forced to use expensive municipal water to keep her crops from dying.
“I would have created more jobs than I have created now. I’m 68 years old. Looking at my age, I cannot fight for that now. Yes, agriculture is my passion but now I am just farming to survive.
“But we must not dwell too much on [the challenges]. We must find ways of making agriculture work for women. It is possible.”
Applying for senior positions
Audrey September is a junior manager and was crowned the top agricultural worker at the Western Cape’s Prestige Agri Awards in 2021. But getting to this level was tough.
“I have been in farming my whole life. My parents and grandparents grew up in the farming community. I have also been here. I know the dynamics of farming life.”
September has seen many women striving for equal job opportunities on farms – and failing.
“Women are still facing many challenges in the agricultural sector because we are in a male-dominated field. As women, it’s a struggle to get into a production or farm manager position. It’s not easy. You have to prove yourself more than a man has to.
She believes that, because the sector is about “getting your hands dirty” and being outside, women are often overlooked to take up positions that involve managing people on a farm.
She plans to apply for a more senior position at work and hopes that her gender will not be a hindrance.
Plan for change…
According to Fair Trade Africa regional spokesperson Sandra Ndlovu, farms and farmers, particularly men, need to be intentional about changing how women are treated.
This is especially important when it comes to issues of gender-based violence, development and leadership roles.
“It’s not going to happen if it’s not planned for. Beyond the planning, we need an actively actioned plan.”
What’s more important, Ndlovu says, is that women need to change how they see themselves.
“They need to break the cycle of believing that they can only do pruning or packing. It is important for them to realise and accept that they can also drive a tractor, for example,” she says.
While there have been positive changes recorded across the continent, it is taking longer than anticipated, Ndlovu adds.
“We are dealing with a universal system that does not necessarily favour women in high positions. It will take intentionality, consistency and a lot of patience.”
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