Trade Hub Identifies Opportunities to Support Women Farmers in Northern Mozambique
26 March 2012
In Nampula, northern Mozambique, SATH explored areas of interest between agricultural commercial buyers and exporters on enhancing the economic empowerment of women farmers.
The team met with a group of smallholder farmer associations that were connected to organic agricultural production. The farmers described their agricultural enterprises, how their businesses and livelihoods had changed since the arrival of the larger commercial buyers and the role of women in their households and farming community. Participants included a small group of women who were in the process of establishing their own farming association, a structure that would allow them to gain greater decision-making capabilities over both their individual farming enterprises and the revenues produced.
As an initial assessment designed to inform the design of a larger initiative into market-driven opportunities for women farmers in export-oriented agricultural value chains, the trip yielded some useful results. For example, commercial buyers emphasized that they did not establish employment or contract relationships on a gender basis, but on the ability to do the work or supply the necessary product. However, they did indicate that field personnel and factory managers had noticed that women were consistently more effective at tasks that required patience, delicacy and attention to detail such as the shelling of groundnut and cashew nut or the cultivation of groundnut seed.
SATH will use information gathered during this trip to design initiatives focused on promoting women's economic empowerment and strengthening regional agricultural value chains.
The team met with a group of smallholder farmer associations that were connected to organic agricultural production. The farmers described their agricultural enterprises, how their businesses and livelihoods had changed since the arrival of the larger commercial buyers and the role of women in their households and farming community. Participants included a small group of women who were in the process of establishing their own farming association, a structure that would allow them to gain greater decision-making capabilities over both their individual farming enterprises and the revenues produced.
As an initial assessment designed to inform the design of a larger initiative into market-driven opportunities for women farmers in export-oriented agricultural value chains, the trip yielded some useful results. For example, commercial buyers emphasized that they did not establish employment or contract relationships on a gender basis, but on the ability to do the work or supply the necessary product. However, they did indicate that field personnel and factory managers had noticed that women were consistently more effective at tasks that required patience, delicacy and attention to detail such as the shelling of groundnut and cashew nut or the cultivation of groundnut seed.
SATH will use information gathered during this trip to design initiatives focused on promoting women's economic empowerment and strengthening regional agricultural value chains.
Activities