The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is proud of the strides they are making to empower women in Agriculture.
Department Head Ramatsimela Maisela said the department has consistently contributed their fair share toward the righteous cause of women empowerment.
Speaking at the Provincial Summit for Female Farmers in Polokwane recently, Maisela acknowledged the Department’s Female Entrepreneur Awards Programme and as one of the their programmes making a genuine gesture of recognising the sterling contributions of feminine gender and empowering women to be part of the mainstream economy thereby moving the country forward.
The programme seeks to acknowledge, encourage and increase the participation of women, young women and women with disabilities in the agricultural sector.
It has as long-term ambition to leverage women entrepreneurs from being subsistence and smallholder producers to commercial entrepreneurs who also venture into export markets.
The objectives of the programme are consistent with the vision of the National Development Plan (NDP), which makes particular reference to the empowerment of women and their involvement in the country’s economic transformation.
“Women farmers are among our most reliable partners in creating a united, prosperous agricultural sector for sustainable rural communities. They add an impetus to our efforts to promote food security and economic growth through sustainable agricultural development. As the department we are happy to contribute to their livelihood,” Maisela said.
She also mentioned that as the Department they need to initiate and accelerate establishment of Women Development Fund aimed at providing women with the necessary foundation and resources to enter and participate in the broader economic activities. “We need to develop women’s programmes and initiatives such as sisterhood programmes that seek to ensure that women economically support each other and facilitate each other’s development. We need to ensure that women from the grassroots and those from lower income levels are the main beneficiaries of the economic development initiatives and programmes of government,” she concluded.
Story and photo: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert@mailbox.co.za
Featured photo: Ramatsimele Maisela, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
