�Women have no security of tenure�
By Ropafadzo Mapimhidze
ONLY a handful of women have benefited in the Land Reform Programme with
most expressing unwillingness to take up the pieces of land offered to them by the
Government.
"Most of these women fear reprisals from their spouses,�� says one of the few
beneficiaries of the exercise, Mrs Judith Zunga, a small-scale farmer from
Mashoshera in Chimanimani district of Manicaland Province.
"Most men object to the idea and women fear creating conflicts that might end up
in divorce," she said.
Culturally, a woman cannot own any property and parents would rather marry off
their daughters to a family that obviously shares the same conception which is
deeply ingrained especially in the Shona culture.
Mrs Zunga is a proud owner of a five-acre piece of land, which she received under
the A1 model of the land reform programme that has created thousands of farmers
nation wide.
"I got land ahead of my husband who does not own any land and this is proof that
women are the key producers of food in the country," said Mrs Zunga at a
workshop designed for rural women farmers.
The new farmer described the exercise as a dream come true.
The importance of giving land to women cannot be over-emphasised, as land is a
determining factor for the life of a woman.
"We are the guardians and nurturers of land but it is amazing to find that not many
women are taking up the challenge to access land which the Government has
offered us.
"I am confident of my capabilities and I can assure you that poverty for my family
will be a thing of the past as I have already cultivated the whole piece of land with
maize and soya beans," Mrs Zunga said.
The new farmer said there was so much fortune in agricultural production and she
hoped that one day she would build a modern house at her home in Chipinge with
the proceeds from agriculture.
She described herself as a competent farmer who has all the necessary skills and
information on agriculture.
Born of a successful peasant farmer, Mrs Zunga said she learnt most of the
farming methods from her father and she is currently working for an organisation
that promotes agriculture.
"I have put to practice all the farming methods but I prefer organic farming," she
said.
Organic farming is a method where manure from natural vegetation is used to
enrich the soil.
"I am also practising crop rotation that is vital if you want a good crop yield," she
said.
She however, gives credit to her village chief who was responsible for allocating
land in the area.
"The chief is aware of my farming experience and I really want to thank him for
being gender-sensitive. He is an exceptional man," she said.
Another new farmer Mrs Iponeleng Mhonda also benefited in the land reform.
Together with her husband, they own a 12-acre plot in Muzarabani.
This year, Mrs Mhonda expects to harvest at least two tonnes of soya beans and
about seven tonnes of maize.
"I used to plough on other people's land and it was so difficult sometimes because
we were not so sure how long the land owners would permit us to do that.
"The land redistribution is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us and we
will definitely make use of all the land given to us," said Mrs Mhonda.
According to Ms Abby Mgugu, director of the Women, Land and Lobby Group,
there were no statistics on the number of women that had benefited from the land
reform but very few women had been resettled under the A1 model scheme, which
caters for small farming activities and villagisation.
Available data show that only 16 percent of the resettled farmers were females.
An analysis of statistics on resettled farmers as of March 5, 2002, indicate that
Mashonaland East, Masvingo, Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland North
provinces recorded at least 17 percent women who benefited from the reforms
versus an average of about 85 percent men.
"Women have all the information about how to get land in their own right but they
will not apply because their spouses have to decide for them," said Ms Mgugu.
She described this as a very unfortunate development as women were producers
of 70 percent of the world's food.
"Women produce food as casual labourers on commercial farms and they are the
farmers in communal lands. They only have access to that land by virtue of being
a wife or relative to the man who owns land. Women have no security of tenure,"
said Ms Mgugu.
She said land was a male entity and culturally, women were meant to benefit
through the man.
However, since independence in 1980, more and more women are being more
assertive and deciding their future.
A study currently being undertaken in Makoni district, Manicaland, most farmers
were venturing into tobacco causing fears of food insecurity.
This is a decision that has been undertaken without consultation of women who
play a major role in agriculture.
Most women in the area have no say on what should be planted in the pieces of
land owned by their husbands.
There have also been criticisms of Section 23 of the Constitution, which allows
discrimination of women along Customary Law.
"How many women have been displaced because of this piece of legislation?
This is despite the fact that Zimbabwe has ratified without reservations, the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW).
Article 14g of CEDAW says that: ". . . State parties shall take all appropriate
measures to ensure that women have equal treatment in agrarian reform as well as
in land resettlement schemes . . ."
Zimbabwe is also a signatory to the Beijing Platform of Action and other
conventions that are meant to uphold the status of women in the country.
Ms Mgugu said for women to enjoy the benefits of the land reform, it was
important that gender-sensitive policies and legal framework be implemented to
protect them.
Statistics indicate that at the end of June 2000, out of 2 087 families that had been
resettled only 132 of them were female-headed families. This translates to about six
percent of the total number of resettled people.
Ms Mgugu said even though the policy documents governing land reform
stipulate that there should be joint ownership of the land for married spouses, this
was not done, leaving a gap in the implementation of the Government policy.
A cursory analysis of the revised phase two policy document produced in April
last year indicated that Government had backtracked on its commitment to address
gender issues in the land reforms.
This has happened despite a commitment to award a 20 percent quota of all land
acquired for resettlement to female-headed households.
A participant at the workshop also noted that chiefs and some people who were
involved in the land allocation committees were resisting the implementation of
this policy.
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"Ivinicus factus sum veritabem diceus." ( I have become an enemy for speaking the truth ) St Paul!
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Mitayo Potosi
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