In
spite of the fact that women have the right to hold and inherit land in many
parts of Africa today, the sad reality is that only ten percent of landowners
are women, which is largely due to the influence of customary practices from the
colonial era.
The research paper I have written on
the role of African women in agriculture during colonial rule analyzes the
gender dynamic in agriculture, and highlights some of the hidden roles that
women played in rural areas. Examining these critical aspects of colonialism
allows us to understand some of the present day land-right issues that many
women face in Africa as well as the gender gap in Agriculture.
It is important to understand that colonial masters came to
the continent with their own pre-conceived notions about women and their role in
society, which were not reflective of the beliefs and practices that Africans
had prior to that era. In the agro-economic sector which was
predominated by men, the abilities of women were often downplayed and
because of this, women were not chosen for any of the manual tasks. This was
very inconsistent with the amount and type of agricultural activity that women
were involved with before colonization.
During
the colonial period, men were sent from rural communities to work on railroads,
mines, and plantations. Women stayed behind, nurtured their children, and dealt
with the increased workload. The high demand and investment in producing cash
crops and raw materials for Europe led to a decline in the production of food
that Africans actually consumed. As a result, women’s agricultural activity
became very essential in providing food for their children and their men.
Despite these contributions, women were not taught like the men were on how to
use modern techniques and machinery such as plows and trucks to aid their
cultivation of food products. Women were also prohibited from participating in
the state-land reform programs that allocated land rights. Consequently, women
did not possess land collateral that would have helped them later on to qualify
for bank loans or to move into trade or marketing in significant numbers. Even in this present time, there
are still places such as Kenya that are operating land allocation in a
patrilineal way.
Because of climate change, the amount
of fertile land is decreasing, and this greatly affects many countries in
Africa, as the population and demand continue to grow. It is believed that securing
women’s land rights might help to mitigate the damaging effects of climate
change. Historically, women perform the majority of agricultural labor and they
tend to have a more intimate relationship with the land than men do. Research
studies have shown that African women often hold traditional knowledge of
weather patterns and seed varieties that improve the bio-diversity of crops and
increase food production.
To conclude, despite all the
contributions that women made, they were not recognized for their agricultural
efforts during colonial rule and as a result, issues such as land rights for
women remain a problem of contemporary Africa. Many still believe there is no
basis for women to pursue rights to own land. Nonetheless, the importance of
empowering women in agriculture and securing land rights is becoming
widespread, and I feel hopeful that issues of agricultural equity will become a
thing of the past.
