WSU RESEARCHER SAYS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LAND REFORM

The promise of agri-preneurship is the driving force behind economic growth and empowerment in the Eastern Cape Province, yet, beneath the aspiration lies a pressing challenge of the scarcity of accessible land for female agri-preneurs.

This is according to Public Management lecturer, Dr Anthony Masha’s research paper and book, titled: “We want agri-preneurship, but where’s the land? The issue of land as an enable for agri-preneurship for female agri-preneurs in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa,” which seeks to explore agri-preneurhsip as a possible solution to the persistently low rate of economic growth in the Eastern Cape.

“According to the World Farmers Organisation, smallholder farmers provide 80% of Africa's agricultural output, with women contributing significantly. However, women still make up barely a third of South Africa's agricultural workforce, making them a minority in that sector.”

The study underscores various challenges faced by aspiring female farmers including lack of access to land, and operating in patriarchal societies that view women as leaders and not followers.

“As these women run their businesses, they are conducted within patriarchal societies that prioritise male attributes and interests and subordinate women within the family.”

Masha presents a framework, which forms part of his forthcoming book on land, which offers the following solutions: getting rid of the inordinately slow process of land reform, identifying land beneficiaries, and off specific training on agri-preneurship, amongst others.

“A favourable motivation for this paper is a gap that I noticed in the literature whereby various authors have addressed the ‘triple challenges’ of poverty, unemployment, and inequality but none of the authors has devised a framework for these three issues.”

The paper formed part of the proceedings of the 14th International Interdisciplinary Conference that was held in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2023, at Multimedia University of Kenya under a general conference theme: “The Global West, North, East and Africa.”

The theme was centred around the increasing concern on how the Global West and North have influenced Africa over the years and the recent rise of Asian giants such as China and India in contesting the monopoly of the traditional powers (US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, and Canada, among others).

By Ongezwa Sigodi