Zowasel Empowers Female Farmers With Vital Skills To Overcome Gender-Based Barriers
With over 60% of African women engaged in agriculture, empowering them through upscaling their skills lifts them out of poverty and drives economic growth and sustainability. Gender-based inclusion is crucial for sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring women have equal access to resources, training, and opportunities. Over the years, Zowasel has implemented various initiatives to provide female farmers with improved and sustainable farming skills.
One significant initiative is the Hand Tiller Trial held at the Kawo Crop Center in Nasarawa State in 2022. Partnering with Honda, Zowasel aimed to improve smallholder farmers’ crop cultivation processes through hands-on demonstrations and outreach events. Women’s groups from cooperatives participated in training sessions showcasing the benefits of hand-held tillers, which reduce labor and increase yield. The initiative provided free access to the hand tiller machines for use on their farmlands, with adjusted rental prices to ensure affordability, empowering female farmers to boost productivity.
In September 2023, Zowasel piloted the Vegetable Value Chain Development Project in Bunkure, Kano State. This initiative aimed to equip smallholder farmers with the knowledge and high-quality inputs necessary for successful vegetable production. In collaboration with Bayer CropScience, who provided participants with cucumber and tomato seeds. Zowasel provided free training on Good Agronomy Practices, the participating farmers also received free technical support throughout the cultivation period.
Earlier in the year, Zowasel conducted a stakeholder engagement in Ondo State, featuring break-out sessions where external trainers taught women how to use agro bio products for soap making. This initiative aimed to teach female farmers how to recycle and repurpose their agriculture bio products, contributing to environmental sustainability and generating additional income.
Zowasel’s holistic approach to empowering female farmers encompasses education, training, entrepreneurship, and access to markets. By investing in the empowerment of women in agriculture, Zowasel improves the lives of individual farmers who also contribute to the economic development and well-being of their communities. In rural communities across the globe, women farmers are the backbone of their families, playing a crucial role in supporting their households and husbands.
Gender-based inclusion is a critical aspect of sustainability. When women have equal access to resources, training, and opportunities, they can contribute more effectively to sustainable agricultural practices, leading to improved food security, economic growth, and environmental stewardship.
According to Oxfam, agriculture is a sector with the potential to empower women due to diverse opportunities, yet women farmers face barriers hindering their ability to sustain their families and invest in their work. These barriers include gender-related restrictions and financial challenges common among small-scale farmers. Women also receive less support than men, with limited access to land, loans, and machinery. Their significant contribution to domestic tasks like caregiving and household chores is often unrecognized economically.
Zowasel is paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural sector, where female farmers are recognized as key agents of change and progress.
For inquiries and partnerships email us at partners@zowasel.com
