Exploring the challenges and opportunities of rural women farmers in selected provinces in South Africa

Abstract

Men dominate the agriculture sector in South Africa. Due to past cultural practices and apartheid policies, different policies were commenced to ensure gender equality in the sector. Gender inequality and land ownership have become a global challenge in South Africa. In addition to that, the Women Empowerment act and Land Reform act are not producing efficient results to rectify the land ownership gap of the previous years. To enhance the participation of women farmers in rural areas, the local district municipality and farming institutions should improve their strategy to ensure their success and utilise the needs of South Africans. However, the local district municipality and farming institutions should know what challenges women farmers face to fulfil their full support. The primary objective of this study is to explore the challenges and opportunities of rural women farmers in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Recommendations were made based on the literature review, empirical review, and a conclusion to suggest policy action that improves participation of women farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga province.