“Show Me the Place of Women Small Holders”
AS Tanzania embraces “Kilimo Kwanza” without gender eyes, civil organization are mitigating the gap by investing in women small holder farmers as one of the smartest ways to fight poverty, food in security, starvation and improve the well-being of families and the entire nation.
To ensure that “Priority Agriculture Program” or Mpango wa Kilimo Kwanza improves the well being of women, local and international not for profit organizations are now looking into the ways and means of supporting women small holders who are the energy and muscles behind “Mpango wa Kilimo Kwanza”.
“Our energy and muscles in this program are women small holder farmers who produce more than 90% of the food consumed in Tanzania”, says Lillian Liundi, Tanzania Gender Networking Program (TGNP), as she announces small holders empowerment.
Lillian Acting TGNP Executive Director noted , noted that her organization partners with Oxfam and CARE International in implementing a joint initiative to improve the well being of the woman small holder farmers in a programme dubbed ‘GROW ’ campaign. The Program was launched recently in Dar es Salaam
Although 90% of the food consumed in Tanzania is produced by small holder farmers particularly women yet, women are sidelined in areas of empowering them in food management, modern methods of production, marketing and land rights.
GROW has come on time because for several decades women small holders have continues to shoulder the burden of food production , they do not have food security let alone access to land and fruits of their own produce. Even though they use the hand hoes to till the fields and use their heads to carry food loads, they do not have powers over the ‘granaries’.
Lillian noted that this partnership is aiming at enhancing food security by educating women on their rights such as land rights and to connect farmers with organizations like TGNP, CARE International. She added that big investors are grabbing land leaving Tanzanians land less.
TGNP fights for women’s rights in many areas such as access to resources e.g. land and has partnered with Oxfam who is empowering women small holder farmers in this campaign
GROW Initiative according to Dr. Monica Gorman, Oxfam Country Director, is a globally project and it’s a four year programme with the purpose of alleviating the looming hunger and food crisis that affecting mostly women and children. Food insecurity among the marginalized women is exacerbated by lack of commitment by governments in the world to end hunger.
During the launch Dr. Monica further explained that in Tanzania Oxfam is working with formal groups in the rural communities to empower women on management of food, its production, marketing and educating women on land rights.
An Oxfam report on the GROW campaign revealed that with the world population at seven billion about one billion are going hungry daily, and it is estimated that by 2050 the world population will be nine billion.
Maria Musita a peasant farmer complained that she hears of Kilimo Kwanza but has not seen it in her area, observing that it is a gender insensitive and segregate programme which concerned with middle class farmers and not the peasant farmers who are women majority.Maria added that the extension officers are not doing enough to support small holders particularly women who do not own their own land.
Challenges of marginalization of women small holder famers were shared in a discussion among small holder farmers, gender activists, university students and members of the public.
A gender activist and small holder farmer Eunice Mashishanga from Western Tanzania attributed un-friendly and none pro poor bank policies to failures of women especially the small holder farmers. She observed that it was thought that the creation of a women’s bank will see incentives for women but unfortunately the women’s bank has just added to the number of banks in Tanzania.
Leah Sunga a student from the University of Dar es Salaam cited government as the one to blame for the insufficient policies and implementation of programs on agriculture that has be-failed women.
She added that food security must be looked at from the producer to the market so that the farmer benefits at most, but it is a pity that smaller holder farmer are left out, reason being that they do not have capacity to negotiate agro businesses such as technology, , means to transport their yields, markets and again they are shunned by extension officers.
“The Government claims that agriculture is their first priority, but this is not visible on the ground as evidenced by the poor policy, lack of commitment and monetary provisions to boost the sector. Women continue to remain marginalized despite the fact that they carry the burden of the agro sector in this country,” Leah expounded.
Professor Marjorie Mbilinyi , renowned a gender activist echoed unequal access to land between men and women as another predicament against women farmers advancement.
Small holders women farmers challenged the government to help them improve their lives by mechanizing agriculture so as to increase the output. The charged that commodity market is being manipulated by powerful investors who are also land grabbers and governing value chains that eventual stifle small holders.
They demanded that it is imperative that the playing field is evened, and need for all to seize opportunities for change and set course towards new prosperity for the age of cooperation rather than competition and that the well being of all must be looked at before the interests of law.
It is clear to see that cultural influence; traditions still hinder the fight against the attainment of full women’s rights. The unfortunate disparity of customary law seeming stronger than public law continues to lead only to marginalization of women. That is why there partnerships like Oxfam, CARE International and TGNP and other NGOs are crucial in alleviating the living standards of women small holder farmer in Tanzania.
Ends
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
SILENCES ON HEROINES
African Governments to blame for failure to celebrate, document and recognise Heroines this came to light at a symposium at the just ended Julius Nyerere Intellectual Festival week which was held at the University of Dar es Salaam from the 12th to the 15th April. The interactive symposium was titled “Silences on Women Freedom Fighters”.
The media too has been cited for perpetuating this stating the type of writing is Patriachal and down playing the role of women in the liberation stuggle. Professor Sylvia Tamala of the University of Makerere challenged the theories of narration such as media stating that our patriarchal schooling tunes out women and tells stories from the man’s perspective only listing men as icons of our history and struggle.
The problem cannot be underestimated with leaders using podiums to demean the role of women said Ms Salma Maoulid a gender activist who was part of the panelists. She cited a retrogressive statement by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere at independence saying “thank you to our women, but now go back to your business, and let us get to work” ,this and several other retrogressive statements have gone unchecked in our society, and unreported by our media houses.
Professor Sylvia Tamala ehoed that the need to visibilise women by reconscepualise the African story, stories should not be written not only through iconic figures but all women who make a contribution must be celebrated, documented and recognised. The sexuality of women must not deny them integrity and decent livelihoods. An example was cited of women freedom fighters in Uganda who fought alongside museveni upon return were told “ to have been in the bush because they were acting as wives to Museveni”. Statements like these and several other retrogressive statements have gone unchecked in our society, and unreported by our media houses.
Salma a gender activists stated that lack of celebrating of our women folk discouraged the young up coming women as they were not motivated, and caused them not to aspire to do more. There was need for a conscious paradigm shift in the way Africa looks at women, and to reframe assumptions and break the silence Professor Tamala said.
However Ananileya Nkya of the Tanzania media Womens Association was quick to admit that media is a reflection of the society it operates in stating that if society does not value it’s women, this will reflect in the stories.
TAMWAs Executive Director stated that media was currently being unpacked and being used as medium for social change.
Professor Godwin Murunga of Kenyatta University said the ‘era of logic of masculinity was long over, men should no longer hold this view of protecting, providing and land ownership.
Women themselves need to celebrate one another another such as Tanzanias Media Womens Association documenting the struggle of the birth of TAMWA, by stating names of women who participated ,this has been done through the writing of a book “20 years of TAMWA”. The Tanzania Women Achievers Awards TWAA is making effort by women for women in recognising and celebrating,however more can be done. The Director of the event is quoted as saying “ if you celebrate people,they appreciate and are willing to do more”.
The era of male masculinity with a view to oprovide, protect and own everything is long gone said professor Godwin Murunga of Kenyatta University. He said it was a challenge for institutions of learning to find a way of validating this part of history using their archives.
The media too has been cited for perpetuating this stating the type of writing is Patriachal and down playing the role of women in the liberation stuggle. Professor Sylvia Tamala of the University of Makerere challenged the theories of narration such as media stating that our patriarchal schooling tunes out women and tells stories from the man’s perspective only listing men as icons of our history and struggle.
The problem cannot be underestimated with leaders using podiums to demean the role of women said Ms Salma Maoulid a gender activist who was part of the panelists. She cited a retrogressive statement by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere at independence saying “thank you to our women, but now go back to your business, and let us get to work” ,this and several other retrogressive statements have gone unchecked in our society, and unreported by our media houses.
Professor Sylvia Tamala ehoed that the need to visibilise women by reconscepualise the African story, stories should not be written not only through iconic figures but all women who make a contribution must be celebrated, documented and recognised. The sexuality of women must not deny them integrity and decent livelihoods. An example was cited of women freedom fighters in Uganda who fought alongside museveni upon return were told “ to have been in the bush because they were acting as wives to Museveni”. Statements like these and several other retrogressive statements have gone unchecked in our society, and unreported by our media houses.
Salma a gender activists stated that lack of celebrating of our women folk discouraged the young up coming women as they were not motivated, and caused them not to aspire to do more. There was need for a conscious paradigm shift in the way Africa looks at women, and to reframe assumptions and break the silence Professor Tamala said.
However Ananileya Nkya of the Tanzania media Womens Association was quick to admit that media is a reflection of the society it operates in stating that if society does not value it’s women, this will reflect in the stories.
TAMWAs Executive Director stated that media was currently being unpacked and being used as medium for social change.
Professor Godwin Murunga of Kenyatta University said the ‘era of logic of masculinity was long over, men should no longer hold this view of protecting, providing and land ownership.
Women themselves need to celebrate one another another such as Tanzanias Media Womens Association documenting the struggle of the birth of TAMWA, by stating names of women who participated ,this has been done through the writing of a book “20 years of TAMWA”. The Tanzania Women Achievers Awards TWAA is making effort by women for women in recognising and celebrating,however more can be done. The Director of the event is quoted as saying “ if you celebrate people,they appreciate and are willing to do more”.
The era of male masculinity with a view to oprovide, protect and own everything is long gone said professor Godwin Murunga of Kenyatta University. He said it was a challenge for institutions of learning to find a way of validating this part of history using their archives.
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