WOMEN, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, provide the majority of sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural muscle and produce up to 80 percent of the region’s basic foodstuffs.
With the country’s economy hinged on the agriculture sector, women who make up 52 percent of the population are playing a leading role in the sector.
With the changing times, concerted efforts have and are being made to ensure that women also have a major stake in the development of the country.
Today, women are playing an active role in politics and economics.
Even those living in rural areas have been given equal opportunities to grow economically.
Government has made efforts to empower women in the agricultural sector.
Calls were made and continue to be made for women to create an environment for their development and empowerment by taking part in activities that promote growth.
In the wake of the Land Reform Programme, women comprise about 20 percent of landowners and leaseholders.
And women have not let these developmental opportunities waste away.
Last Saturday women farmers drawn from the Midlands Province converged at Kwekwe Recreational Park for the annual Food Fair.
The fair is held annually on July 1, with the first edition having been hosted in the province’s capital, Gweru, last year.
The fair coincided with the re-opening of the recreational park which had over the past years been neglected and turned into a dumping ground.
Through efforts of women drawn from Kwekwe, who pooled their resources, the park got a face-lift.
The park, formerly known as Prince Park, was renamed Kwekwe Recreational Park.
The fair was held under the theme: ‘Food Security through Local Dried Fruits and Vegetables – Value Addition my Empowerment’.
Women showcased produce including livestock, traditional fruits, vegetables, cereals and traditional meals.
Speaking during the fair, Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe legislator Auxillia Mnangagwa encouraged women to continue producing and finding ways to value add traditional and organic foods.
“Women and small-holder farmers need to scale-up on value addition of their locally produced foods and reduce the importation of genetically modified foods (GMO) which are not only expensive but lack nutritional value and pose health hazards,” she said.
“Women should derive value from foods, cereals and fruits that they produce and process locally as their organic nature is what is now driving global health issues.
“It is important for women farmers to look beyond home consumptions but instead seek to derive value from their foods through increased value addition and exportation of their products.”
Over the years, production of small grains, which made the bulk of cereals showcased at the fair, has declined.
The decline is as a result of challenges that include low prices and lack of markets resulting in farmers producing cash crops such as tobacco and cotton.
Small grains include rapoko, millet, sorghum, beans, groundnuts, cowpeas and round-nuts.
Government has urged the country to preserve small grains and other indigenous crop varieties to enhance food security.
The production of small grains was said to ensure food security at the household level and should be dovetailed with the production of clean water and building of granaries so that people do not rely on the national grain reserves.
Studies have shown that small grains are drought resistant and are not prone to attacks from pests and diseases during production and after harvesting.
Small grains thrive in marginal environments with low rainfalls; low nutrients and mineral salts or sandy soils.
This means production of small grains does not strain soils and the environment.
Soils remain fertile for long.
As such, small grains are easy to produce and store after harvesting.
Experts contend that millet and sorghum should be promoted as the ideal food crops for those in the arid regions.
Arid regions that are favourable to grow small grains are those in Matabeleland and Masvingo provinces.
The fair’s co-ordinator, Perseverance Zhou, said the aim of the fair was to promote healthy eating and preserve local culture.
“Women are showcasing their produce and educating people on the importance of traditional foods,” she said, adding, “They are also showing how to value add the produce as some have made jams using wild fruits, peanut butter from nuts and upfu (meal/flour) from cereals.
“The fair is providing a platform for women to exchange ideas on producing and marketing their products.”
Women farmers in the Midlands have adopted the concept of kitchen-tourism.
Under the concept women are encouraged to set up eateries, produce traditional foods, prepare them and sell them to people visiting their areas.