Growing Equality: Women’s Empowerment through Small-Scale Agriculture
Posted 1:53 PM by Internal Voices in Labels: 12th Edition |
| UN Photo/Martine Perret |
Sara Draper-Zivetz, World Food Program, USA
What is empowerment? Suggested in the term is a fundamental shift in the status quo, in which a person or group typically oppressed by social, political or economic forces experiences a change in circumstance and is able to more significantly determine its own destiny. It is a word that has been historically used in the struggle of individuals and communities, groups and societies, to redefine their status in society at large.
Women’s empowerment is a notion that refers to historical and contemporary struggles for gender equality and crosses all geographic, economic and political boundaries. As an inherently positive term, empowerment points to successes in these struggles and the ability of women to gain traction in achieving the broader goal of equality.
Women’s empowerment is a notion that refers to historical and contemporary struggles for gender equality and crosses all geographic, economic and political boundaries. As an inherently positive term, empowerment points to successes in these struggles and the ability of women to gain traction in achieving the broader goal of equality.
For women, social, political, and economic empowerment has historically come in the form of dramatic steps such as enfranchisement, labor laws and human rights declarations, among others. Currently, while major shifts in the global gender dynamic continue to take place, more subtle transformations are contributing to women’s empowerment.
One such shift can be found in agriculture, a female-dominated sector in much of the developing world. Traditional gender roles have prescribed a division between labor and profit in this field, where women, who account for a large portion of agriculture laborers, account for less than one percent of landowners. Consequentially, women have practically no access to the revenue from the sale of the crops they raise, which perpetuates the traditional male-as-breadwinner and therefore male-as-head-of-household dynamic. In addition, women do not have ownership or access to the food produced on the land, limiting their ability to fulfill their role as food providers for their families.
Empowerment in this sector has been achieved in various ways, including through improved property and landowner rights and laws, basic minimum wages for farm workers in some countries, and increased skill training for women. Another form of empowerment for women in this sector can be found in the expansion and greater support for small-scale, community, and backyard agriculture.
For many, community and backyard gardens appear to be simply a venue for recreation and hobby gardening. In reality, a family of six can be fed for a year from a piece of land as small as the size of four standard doors. Small-scale agriculture is highly productive, and an excellent means of addressing community food insecurity. In bypassing the traditional large-scale agrarian system, communities investing in small-scale agriculture are less dependent on weather systems, market volatility, infrastructure and political dynamics to access food.
Furthermore, as a result of size and location, small-scale agriculture circumvents traditional landowner and worker systems; too small to be deemed a profitable investment and often within the confines of a family’s homestead or immediate community, small-scale agriculture is an ideal means for women to gain access to food and thus a source of income. Women engaging in small-scale, ‘backyard’ agriculture can raise crops outside the influence of a typically male-dominated system, and can grow food for themselves, their families, and in some cases, sell as a supplemental source of income. This is a profoundly empowering activity, which contributes to a shift in marital and societal-based gender dynamics, and is helping to redefine traditional gender roles.
In an age of innovation, where dramatic improvements are being made in the productivity, nutritional value and dependability of crops, there has also been a global recognition of the valuable role of small-scale agriculture in developing a more reliable and thriving food system. A gendered understanding of the importance of small scale-agriculture will contribute ultimately to a system that is not only more reliable, but more just; changing the way the world grows food can be a key means to advance the status of women and therefore, advance society.
Furthermore, as a result of size and location, small-scale agriculture circumvents traditional landowner and worker systems; too small to be deemed a profitable investment and often within the confines of a family’s homestead or immediate community, small-scale agriculture is an ideal means for women to gain access to food and thus a source of income. Women engaging in small-scale, ‘backyard’ agriculture can raise crops outside the influence of a typically male-dominated system, and can grow food for themselves, their families, and in some cases, sell as a supplemental source of income. This is a profoundly empowering activity, which contributes to a shift in marital and societal-based gender dynamics, and is helping to redefine traditional gender roles.
In an age of innovation, where dramatic improvements are being made in the productivity, nutritional value and dependability of crops, there has also been a global recognition of the valuable role of small-scale agriculture in developing a more reliable and thriving food system. A gendered understanding of the importance of small scale-agriculture will contribute ultimately to a system that is not only more reliable, but more just; changing the way the world grows food can be a key means to advance the status of women and therefore, advance society.
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