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By Hilda Phoya
Dar es Saalam, 5 August – In Tanzania, some sectors usually have distinctly defined roles where gender is concerned. This is especially true in the agriculture sector where the women are expected to till and prepare the soil and ground for planting while men wait for the harvest time to sell crops and receive money.
The story’s purpose is to see whether these socially constructed duties can be changed to accommodate a more woman friendly system of farming each season.
The story aims to go beyond equal participation in agriculture. It aims to inspire women to take on careers that are often deemed masculine and unfitting for women.
Society has labeled women as weak and therefore unable to perform certain tasks, however this stereotype should stop as women are able to work do any job just as well as a man.
The system of using women to work on the land while men control the harvest is unfortunate and ensures that women remain economically dependent.
The documentary covered women who participate fully in agriculture but do not benefit from it. It also showed the challenges that women face at the hands of their male counterparts. Many women struggle to take their produce to the market and will often yield nothing from their hard work.
Women ought to be involved beyond the land preparation and planting phases of agriculture and should be trained in processing and packaging farm produce.
Hilda Phoya is a Tanzanian News Anchor and Reporter for Mlimani Media. She produced a story about participation of women in the agricultural sector for the Tanzania Gender and News Summit 2018
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