…as guest honour in Desertification and Drought day
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MANZINI – “Women are the drivers of food security and family nutrition”.
These were the words of Minister of Agriculture Jabulani Mabuza when speaking during the Desertification and Drought Day 2023 seminar at Mavuso Trade Centre yesterday. The seminar was organized by the Eswatini Environmental Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, under the theme “Her land, her rights.”
Minister Mabuza expanded on the theme, which addressed inequality of women with respect to access to land.
“Women are the drivers of food security, family nutrition, life livelihood and economic growth. Challenges such as land insecurity can be dire for women. They sometimes face risk, including displacement, loss of income, food insecurity and gender-based violence,” said the Minister.
“Being excluded from inherited land, or not being recognized by authorities or male family members result in some women and children being forced off the land that they may have lived on and farmed for decades. This unequal access to opportunity combined with less secure land rights contribute to a land gender ga that has adverse economic and social impacts on women and their families,” added the Minister.
Mabuza reiterated that the Government is committed to supporting women because they are the centre of the solution when it comes to welfare of the nation.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance celebrated each year on 17 June. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought.
