MS-Zambia Newsletter July 2008

Female farmers unite

Women in the Kanyanja area of Chipata district have realized the great potential when women unite to present their issues and concerns in a unified voice. 23 women groups have come together to form an umbrella body, KWADA, which is very vocal in demanding better service delivery from the government and NGO's. This is good news for MS partner CDFA.

By Chipata District Farmers Association

17. July 2008

The local MS partner, Chipata District Farmers Association (CDFA), wants to use the new organization to get through to other women and educate them on gender inequality biases with respect to land rights. CDFA already works with many women groups who have come together for various reasons. Key among them is to help fight poverty, improve household incomes and together discuss issues which affect them as gatekeepers of food security and as caregivers.

Women constitute more that 60% of CDFA members. This shows that most small scale farmers are women and is further in line with the assertion that women provide most of the labour for farming. It is therefore important for a farmer organization to focus on women's rights.
In consequence, late last year, CDFA made a deliberate move to include women in her decision-making structures by amending the associations’ constitution so that one third of members in the decision making bodies are female. The new umbrella organization will form another platform for reaching their female farmers.