The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Rural Women today Sunday, 15 October 2017. International Day of Rural Women was declared by the United Nations (UN) as a day to recognise the role of rural women in development and in agriculture.
The Department notes the good progress it is making in efforts to empower rural women by providing resources including land for agricultural production, tenure security and supporting rural enterprises development to create much needed employment opportunities.
Rural communities in South Africa are severely affected by the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality; women also face additional hurdles which include a lack of access to land. The Department is however working toward addressing these challenges, by among others introducing programmes and legislation which allow for the allocation of land for agricultural production to women and supporting infrastructure development and the provision of skills.
Women have benefitted from the programs such as the One Hectare One Household programme which was introduced in 2015. Through this initiative rural households are each allocated portions of state land to produce crops for subsistence and for the markets. A number of successful projects have already been recorded, in different provinces including the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga with significant numbers of beneficiaries being rural women.
Thought the land redistribution program more than 60 000 women have been allocated land since 2009. The department has also provided material support in the form of finance, infrastructure and agricultural expertise which have ensured some of the beneficiaries become successful farmers in both the small holder and commercial farming sector. In addition to this security of tenure has also been extended to many women who had been labourers on farms and were under threat of eviction from their homes.
Amendments to current legislation such as the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA) will offer greater protection to farm workers from illegal eviction from farms. Women constitute large numbers of farm workers and farm dwellers and are often the most vulnerable to unfair labour practices and eviction.
Rural women play a key role in food security and creating sustainable rural areas yet they often do not have sufficient power to secure land in many instances or vital resources such as credit, input costs of farming, extension services, training and education. The Department is addressing these.
The DRDLR has also created opportunities for rural women who are not engaged in agriculture. In 2016 the Department launched the Rural Arts and Craft Financial Institution Co-operative which serves as a banking platform for rural women crafters who are members of co-operatives that have been established in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Currently over 800 women in Arts Craft and Design have been trained and supported in the manufacture of works of art including beaded jewellery, crockery, and various pieces of art which are sold to the local and international markets.
Recently their works have been featured at Decorex SA, a showcase of the latest décor and design trends in Johannesburg.
Women who are benefiting from the Mzantsi Arts and Craft initiative have seen substantial transformation of their livelihoods and over the years, it has become necessary for the formalisation of the financial vehicle in a form of the Mzansi Co-operative Financial Institution.
The Department continues to improve its programs and policies to ensure that women in rural communities enjoy the benefit of service delivery and empowerment. It also recognizes that a lot more has to be done
