"Women farmers have to be ten times better than men"

Many female subsistence farmers in South Africa encounter difficulties gaining access to markets, securing bank loans and retaining reliable workers to assist them.

These concerns were addressed recently at the 4th World Congress of Rural Women, held in the South African coastal city of Durban in late April, an event that attracted more than 2,000 farmers.

Much remains to be done, says Martha Moside, coordinator for the Women in Agriculture and Rural Development Association, a government-backed initiative. "Women have problems accessing the market. We have small plots - mine is just two and a half hectares. As a result, the supermarkets are not willing to accommodate us because of the small quantities that we supply. We try to team up with other women, but it's difficult : we don't know each other. You need to develop trust before you engage in such an activity," she said.

Moside said the solution could lie in the informal market, for example with vegetable and fruit vendors. "But they, too, are unreliable. There is no guarantee that they will come back to you. They may come once or twice but if they get someone with cheaper products they abandon you," she said.

Asked if women were able to secure bank loans, Moside replied, "It's the biggest headache. The banks need to know how you are managing your account, demanding a six month statement. Sometimes they come and check your property. In spite of all these troubles, the money doesn't come immediately. The Land Bank, for example, takes about six months to process an application. The conventional banks can reject it outright. In rural areas, communal land is still distributed by chiefs. This means that it will be difficult for a woman to get a loan because the land doesn't belong to her."

She suggested that improved access to credit could be through a special funded supported by government and well wishers. "It's difficult for a woman to get access to finance as well as get the right staff and keep them. As a woman, you have to work nine to ten times harder than a male farmer."

Moside said labourers believe that it is better to work for a man "because he has authority. To change this perception you need education, but you also have to try harder to keep the workers."

On learning new business and farming techniques, Moside said, "We get training through the department of agriculture, who teach you how to keep your books, how to grow vegetables and run poultry. The Agriculture Research Council and the Department of Agriculture have a monthly newspaper but it only comes in English. We still have along way to go."

IPS