Climate Change and opportunities for sustainable development for women in marginalised areas in Zimbabwe

CADS ’ interventions recognize the important role played by women in communal agriculture. This crucial role is however constrained by a myriad of challenges largely influenced by the societal ascribed roles of women, long standing history of traditional practices and the increased occurrence of droughts due to climate change. The following conspicuous manifestations of unequal involvement and consideration of rural women in contributing to the livelihoods of their families have been addressed by CADS:
• Addressing improper workload balances that leave women with less time for other household duties.
• Limited technical knowledge on farming enterprises based on a whole history of exclusion from trainings in the past.
• Improving contribution to household income through training women on food processing and marketing.
• Improving access to finance at community level through training women on Savings and Internal Lending Corrporatives.
• Promoting effective women representation in leadership
• With various farmer groupings/cluster at various levels being promoted, there is deliberate deployment of a quota system in selection of lead farmers, IMC members, marketing committees. programs ensure effective women representation through reservation of at least one key position in the committees (chairperson, treasurer and secretary) in all farmer groups. Exposing more women to leadership training bolsters their confidence and enables them to overcome the fear to step up to leadership. Farming as a business training empowers women with the wherewithal to effectively contribute to the business decisions made in the family as well as ability to manage financial resources.
• Promoting access to labor and time-saving technologies
• Programs promote use of and facilitate access to labour and time-saving technologies. One of target crops being promoted, groundnuts has 70% of the national output communally produced with women dominating the cultivation. Commercialization efforts are derailed by labor intensive shelling process, the programs link rural agro dealers to suppliers of groundnut shelling machines that women can make use of at a fee. The broad spectrum of shelling machines provides for areas that are not yet electrified.
• Income generation and improved nutrition
• Women have demonstrated great financial discipline in most households, however lacking appropriate vehicles to invest family savings. Programs promote and facilitate formation of Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) groups in all target areas. ISALs have promoted cohesion and act as springboard to initiate dialogue and participation in other development initiatives.

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