Empower Rural Women – End Hunger & Poverty

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Agriculture

Empower Rural Women – End Hunger & Poverty

The contributions of rural women are central in food production and food security. Therefore it is also necessary to spearhead

efforts to expand their opportunities to economic participation and gender equality.

The potential for sustainable development and poverty reduction through social and economic growth will not be reached unless there is a true concerted effort by committed government and development agencies to work towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. The commitment of the world leaders to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals which have aims of gender equality, ending hunger and eradicating poverty carry the right vision to draw the strength needed to empower rural women.

A World Bank report states that in Africa, while women constitute about 60% to 70% of the agricultural work force, men generally make key farm management decisions. As a result, agricultural extension services have traditionally focused on men and their production needs.

Gender equality is central to achieving food security for all by raising levels of nutrition, improving agricultural productivity and natural resource management, and improving the lives of rural populations. Humanity can accomplish its other goals only if it simultaneously works toward gender equality and supports the empowerment of rural women as agricultural producers.

The DAPP Malawi’s Women Farmers’ Clubs does just that, by encouraging that women and men work hand in hand to improve food security and the economic status of their families. The project in rural areas of Blantyre district is aimed at improving household food, nutrition and income security. The Jera family is proud to have achieved a lot of progress since they started working within the structure of the Farmers’ Club. They produce tomatoes on a large scale. Patrick Jera says that at first he used to think that the benefits of the Farmers’ Club were only for women and that men were not welcome to participate in the project activities.
“We have made a lot of progress at our household. We raise livestock and we have also built a house with corrugated iron sheets. This could not have been possible if I did not work with the Farmers’ Club structure,” said Mary Jera.  

Mary Jera, a member of Tione Farmers’ Club, says her husband was receptive to the information that was brought from the clubs meetings and they together decided to develop the tomato field to economically empower their household. The project has been providing extension services and inputs to the family.

“As a family we will continue to engage with the other farmers in the Farmers’ Clubs until we realize better markets for our produce as currently we can only sell the tomatoes within the community,” said Mary Jera.    

A total of 10.250 women are taking an active part in the Farmers’ Clubs for Women in the district of Dowa and Blantyre rural.

September 2016             

DAPP Women Farmers’ club economically empower family

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Agriculture

The DAPP women farmers’ clubs encourages women to work hand in hand with their husbands   in order to improve food security and the economic status of their families. The project women empowerment via farmers clubs programme, is aimed at improving household food, nutrition and income security in rural areas of Blantyre district

The Jera family is proud to have achieved a lot of progress when they started working within the structure of the farmers club. They produce tomatoes on a large scale. Husband of farmer’s club member Patrick Jera says that at first he used to think that the benefits of the farmers club were only for women and that man were not welcome to participate in the project activities.

“We have made a lot of progress at our house holds. We raise livestock and we have also built a house with corrugated iron sheets. This could not have been possible if I did not work with the farmers’ club structure,” said Patrick Jera . Mary Jera member of Tione farmers club says her husband was receptive to the information that was brought from the clubs meetings and they together decided to develop the tomato field to economically empower their house hold. The project has been providing extension services and inputs to the family

“As a family we will continue to engage with the farmers club until we realize better markets for our produce as currently we can only sell the tomatoes within the community,” said Mary Jera

Improved livestock management in Chikhwawa

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Agriculture

Women farmers in Chikhwawa are reaping rewards from improved livestock management as more women are now engaged in piggery and goat farming.

Mary Coster says before the women joined that DAPP farmers clubs they were practising subsistence farming which in the wake of climate change made livelihood difficult. The livestock provide protein and supplement the income for the farmers as most depended on rain fed agriculture before the inception of the project in the area.

“In the beginning DAPP taught us Conservation farming. The organisation also brought us skills in improved livestock management. We are now able to raise goats and pigs intensively” said Coster

The livestock are provided to the women farmers on a pass on project. Where each farmer will be able to receive either a goat or a pig. In the new method that Coster has employed to raise goats the farmers have abandoned the traditional ways of building kraals for the goats on the ground but instead the housing for the animal are raised.

“When we raise the kraals for the animals we are protecting the livestock from diseases as well as predators like hyenas. In that way we improve on the productivity,” continued Coster

Coster also says that she is very happy that the DAPP farmers Clubs are also reaching out to men. She says if men can support what the women are doing there will be a lot of progress in the community. DAPP is implementing a three year Farmer Clubs project in Chikhwawa CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

Mzatonse Farmers Cooperative grows big

Written by DAPP Malawi. Posted in Agriculture

Mzatonse farmers cooperative in Chikhwawa is poised to be among the biggest milk suppliers in Chikhwawa and beyond.

What started like a small business group, with 20 members Mzatonse Farmers Cooperative enjoys membership of more than 200 farmers with Kasinthula Centre which has 121 members and Thabwa Centre enjoying membership of more than 90 farmers.

The cooperative which owns a Vita-goat Processing Plant, processes high quality milk from soya beans which is sold to the communities around.

“We sometimes make sales of up to MK150,000 per week and we believe it is because of these promising sales that we see our membership growing.”

With support from Development Aid from People to People (DAPP), women farmers from various farmer clubs in Chikhwawa district established the cooperative so as to maximise their earnings in addition to their farm produce sales.

Brown claims the establishment of the cooperative has increased access to milk for Chikhwawa families which were not able to get the much needed stuff.

DAPP is implementing a three year Farmer Clubs project in Chikhwawa and it is farmers from these clubs that are running the cooperative.

Below you can see a short film about the Mzatonse Farmers Cooperative