BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MATSAPHA – “Upscaling Adult Woman and Female Youth Farmer’s Agri-Business Development Skills.”
This was the overall theme of the Woman’s Rights and Equity Seminar which was organised by the Woman Farmer Foundation at S&B Restaurant in Matsapha yesterday.
According to Woman Farmer Foundation (WFF) Communications Officer Nompulanga Zwane, the project was designed to tackle the root cause of gender inequality, which is unequal control of resources and decision making.
“By enhancing access to climate smart technologies for women and youth (50% women, 50% female youth), greater opportunities for food production and entrepreneurship are provided to them, thereby increasing their incomes and thus resilience and active participation in decision making,” said Zwane when speaking to the reason the seminar was valuable.
The women who attended the seminar were equipped on different topics on equity and women’s rights by the Eswatini Action Against Abuse (SWAAGA), and Kwakha Indvodza. Kwakha Indvodza presented on Gender and Power Dynamics, where Thokozani Gina spoke to the societal norms that lead to gender disparities and uneven power dynamics.
“Nothing should make you as a woman feel like a second-class citizen in Eswatini,” said Gina.
WLSA touched on Women’s Rights, with a focus on Land Rights which the presenter, Thembayena Dlamini, described as a major thorn for women in Eswatini. She shared various ways women often lose access to land and how to protect themselves.
The participants were enthusiastic about the topics discussed during the seminar, as seen by their engagement in sessions as well as the dialogue session.
“As the youth, especially women, we do not have access to land which we can use to start Agricultural projects in our communities. Even when we get the land, we often eventually lose it. This is why the seminar taught us a lot on how to include the community in what we do to increase the chances of success,” said Gcinile Shabangu who was one of women who participated in the seminar.
The training project was conducted in partnership with Crossroads International, under the Karen Takacs Women’s Leadership Fund, and this particular seminar is the last of a trio of engagements held with women and youth farmers, which began on February 14.
