Only 2% of women in Zim own agricultural land: World Bank

The World Bank (WB) has revealed that only 2% of Zimbabwean women own agricultural land due to lack of finance to purchase commercial farms.

Currently, most farmers occupying farms recovered by the government during the land reform program since 2000 do not have land titles.

As such, these new farmers cannot use their land as collateral to borrow from banks to start agricultural projects.

Additionally, the previous owners, who were mostly white, are disputing the way their farms were reclaimed and the government now has to pay $3.5 billion to farmers as compensation for the development of the land.

In its latest report titled Zimbabwe Gender Assessment Report, the global lender said that while only 2% of women owned farms, 3.8% of men had title to them.

“Compared to men, women have less ownership and access to agricultural land. Documented ownership of agricultural land is low in Zimbabwe, with only 2% of women and 3.8% of men owning land,” the WB said.

Keep reading

“This is due to a lack of funding to purchase commercial agricultural land, challenges in navigating the land titling system, and the traditional exclusion of wives from land titling or use rights.”

The World Bank said fewer women earned a living in the agricultural sector, 66% compared to 57%, and their productivity was lower.

“This trend is driven by their concentration on subsistence agriculture, limited access to land titles, especially for high productivity (commercial) agriculture; limited access to: financing, agricultural assets, agricultural and crop management skills, and restricted access to additional agricultural labor,” he said.

According to the World Bank, agriculture is one of Zimbabwe’s largest industries and one of the country’s central economic drivers.

Statistics from the global lender revealed that in 2019, the sector contributed between 15% and 20% of the national gross domestic product and 25% of formal employment.

“It also served as the largest source of export earnings in the country: it accounts for 63% of raw materials for agricultural industries and is a source of livelihood for 70% of the country’s population,” the World Bank said.

“Agriculture is the central source of food and nutritional security in the country, and 61.4% of the population lives in rural areas. It is a fundamental way to create jobs, economic growth and reduce poverty.”

The WB urged authorities to adopt policies that can encourage women’s participation in agriculture considering their earning potential.

“The Government of Zimbabwe is encouraged to adopt a cross-sectoral strategy to address the many remaining dimensions of gender inequality in the country. There is a need to address gaps in policy implementation, harmonize gender laws and policies, and strengthen the institutional capacities of relevant gender ministries,” the report reads in part.

“Better coordination mechanisms are needed to break down organizational silos and ensure a more aligned gender agenda across ministries. Innovative approaches are required to achieve the goals and objectives of women empowerment in the country.

“This report aims to identify priorities and strategies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in Zimbabwe.”

The report consolidated information on gender gaps and factors driving inequality in human resources, economic opportunities, asset ownership and control, and voice and agency.

“The report also seeks to identify promising practices that can be replicated and scaled up, and that can be effectively cascaded across all geographic regions of the country,” he said.

Insufficient resources for the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprise Development were highlighted as major obstacles.

The World Bank added that the implementation of gender policy programs had been hampered by siled approaches, capacity constraints and high staff turnover rates.

This, according to the bank, had impeded the government’s ability to effectively adopt new gender policies and implement existing ones.

“To address these challenges, there is a need to improve the integration and monitoring of gender objectives at different levels of government, as well as better coordination and alignment between ministries and with stakeholders in the private and non-profit sectors” said the bank.