The emerging female farmer

CHANGING THE advertise our members’ services and expose them to potential suppliers outside their current supply chains.” LANDSCAPE FOR Netshitenzhe says that Connected Farmer is the third phase of the Women in Farming project. “The Connected Farmer app provides real-time information on what farmers are WOMEN FARMERS producing in which regions. It also helps to ensure that small-scale women farmers participating in the programme have access to input and output markets – a key Th e Women in Farmers Programme is hoping to change THE CONNECTED FARMER APP Deborah Matuku, SAWIF’s president, says the smallholder farmers to commercial production – and can meet the conditions of retailers.” Connected Farmer is currently being the landscape for small-scale farmers in South Africa. programme offers its 5 000 members training in the intricacies of using a smartphone, using apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp and in the intricacies of using a smartphone, using apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp and developed to include fi nancial services and enterprise business offerings as the fourth phase of the project. Netshitenzhe and enterprise business offerings as the fourth phase of the project. Netshitenzhe Th ando Pato fi nds out how email to help them grow their businesses. “This basic training empowers our email to help them grow their businesses. “This basic training empowers our explains that a farmer can use any mobile device on any network to access the explains that a farmer can use any mobile device on any network to access the members, who are mostly rural women members, who are mostly rural women Connected Farmer’s platform and, Connected Farmer’s platform and,

Women, on average, make up with small farms that have limited with small farms that have limited through SMS, can receive valuable through SMS, can receive valuable 43 per cent of the agricultural access to bigger supply chains. access to bigger supply chains. information, including weather forecasts information, including weather forecasts labour force in developing “It opens doors because we can now “It opens doors because we can now and market prices. “In addition, the and market prices. “In addition, the countries, yet they receive network with each other and share network with each other and share agribusiness and even third-party agribusiness and even third-party only a fraction of the resources, information. The most exciting information. The most exciting providers can issue farmers with providers can issue farmers with agricultural training and information compared part of this programme is the part of this programme is the vouchers that can be exchanged vouchers that can be exchanged to men, claims the Food and Agriculture Connected Farmer app being Connected Farmer app being at participating dealers for at participating dealers for Organisation of the United Nations. developing by Vodacom. developing by Vodacom. requirements such as seeds, requirements such as seeds,

Agriculture is a knowledge-intensive fi eld This will change the way we This will change the way we fertiliser and access fertiliser and access with new technologies, and emerging women do business because it will do business because it will to mechanisation.” to mechanisation.” farmers need to develop the skills to take Takalani Netshitenzhe advantage of the economic benefi ts offered by the digital revolution. This is why South African Women in Farming (SAWIF), the Vodacom Foundation and UN Women joined forces and launched the Women Farmers Programme. The programme aims to provide women REALISING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN FARMING farmers across South Africa with digital requirement for the transformation of literacy training. “Since the successful pilot programme in Limpopo held in 2018, Vodacom has invested over R6.3-million in digital literacy training and extended the programme to I n August, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, announced that government would be prioritising farming as one of the sectors to The SAWIF fresh produce stand at the launch event last August. four more provinces, including the Eastern rebuild the economy and concentrating on Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and increasing the role of women in agriculture. a plan on how to mobilise and organise the North West. Through research, the department has women farmers so they have a more

“The number of women farmers trained learnt that women in the prominent role in the through the programme has more than sector face numerous issues sector across farming, doubled. Currently, more than 1 300 women such as access to land, production, procurement farmers from rural areas have been trained in nancial services, marketing and agribusiness. digital literacy, up from 600 last August,” says and trade requirements This would be done Takalani Netshitenzhe, external affairs director and mechanisation to through several measures for Vodacom South Africa. commercialise their including releasing up to farming activity. 50 per cent of state land to “Th e Connected Farmer app provides real-time One of the biggest issues is the lack of statistical data on the number of women Thoko Didiza female farmers, introducing additional land reform measures, developing a information on what farmers are producing in which in the sector and what commodities they trade in. The Minister said that, after consultations targeted programme for female entrepreneurs and farmers and introducing a 40 per cent procurement regions.” – Takalani netshitenzhe with stakeholders, government now has process for female-led busineses.