Empowerment of Women in Rural Areas Through
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN RURAL AREAS THROUGH WATER USE SECURITY AND AGRICULTURAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR GENDER EQUITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN KWAZULU-NATAL AND NORTH WEST PROVINCE Report to the WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION by OI Oladele and M Mudhara Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus School of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus WRC Report No. 2176/1/16 ISBN 978-1-4312-0821-0 July 2016 Obtainable from Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 Gezina, 0031 [email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © Water Research Commission ii Short executive summary This compilation is a WRC report on the project entitled, ‘Empowerment of women in rural areas through water use security and agricultural skills training for gender equity and poverty reduction in KwaZulu-Natal and North West Provinces’. Firstly, the study sites are described, followed by an analysis of the socioeconomic aspects of the women who were selected for the study (i.e. with respect to their political, social, institutional, and cultural environment). It also reports on the specific agricultural needs that are critical to the empowerment of women in the study areas. The report also identifies the skills training crucial for empowering women in the study areas and enabling them to achieve their desired livelihood outcomes (i.e. food security, poverty reduction, self-reliance, etc.). Lastly, the report puts forward several recommendations on the adjustments needed in order to empower women in the study areas for them to achieve their livelihood outcomes. iii This page was left blank intentionally iv Executive summary The rural landscape of South Africa is typified by high levels of poverty, with approximately 70% of the country’s poor residing in rural areas. This is despite the fact that many of those residing in rural areas have some access to land and water resources for productive use. There is an untested hypothesis of the relationship between rural poverty and under-utilization of natural resources, such that a contradiction is often presented. The aim of the project was to investigate the constraints, opportunities and challenges to achieve empowerment of women to improve gender equity and livelihoods through increased water productivity with crop cultivation and animal husbandry, in selected traditional rural areas in North West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. The specific objectives of the project were to: • Review existing reports and literature on gender equity in agriculture and synthesise findings. • Identify and describe the women who should be targeted in the selected study sites with reference to others: demographics of women at the selected study sites; age and gender, composition of households, aspirations of women currently residing in these areas; livelihood strategies followed by these women; existing and expressed constraints and needs of women to change practices; mechanisms for attracting women into agriculture and broadening the current demographic profile. • Describe and explain the political, economic, social, institutional and cultural environment in which women operate, with reference to: land and water allocation reform; role of traditional authorities; available infrastructure and access to markets; family relationships and social networks; land tenure and water use security; and the status of women within local traditional culture. Given the above factors, to make recommendations regarding locally preferred adjustments and adaptations which are suitable to create a favourable environment for women to realise their aspirations with specific reference to constitutional prescriptions compared with cultural realities. • Specify appropriate agricultural (farming and non-farming skills) based on a needs assessment of women in rural areas, with reference to: existing skills among women in the selected study sites; relevant skills that will make a difference to the lives of women in the current reality; linking the skills identified with SAQA requirements for future mainstreaming of training; identifying suitable facilitating and training organisations which are capable of meeting the requirements for skills training; starting a facilitation process of skills training in cases where available training material and trainers are able to make a contribution at the selected study sites. • Make recommendations for development of training material for the identified skills which are required in agriculture (farming and non-farming activities). This project was conducted in North West and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces. It proceeded from the identification of research sites that could allow data collection to answer the objectives. A mixed method approach was used, where both formal and informal data collection procedures v were used. Students were co-opted to conduct the research. The site selection in North West Province was based on the following criteria: project location, social profile and cultural context, agriculture infrastructure and resources and opportunities and risks. These are Rethuseng, Bosele, Ipeleng, Tshidiso from Taung; Nchapeo, Mabobo Dinku, Khanya, Molatedi, Nyetse, Dinokana and Mayiyeyene/Disaneng. In KwaZulu-Natal, site selection was based on availability of an irrigation scheme with neighbouring rain-fed areas, level of government interventions/subsidies, level of agricultural production and logistical constraints. Tugela Ferry, Mooi River irrigation schemes and Machunwini area were covered. In North West Province, a probability sampling method involving simple random sampling techniques was used to select the respondents. A sample of 84 farmers was randomly selected to obtain a representative sample from the participating farmers on the schemes. Some farmers on irrigation schemes have access to land in the old scheme design, even though the decision and management of their plots rests solely on them. In KwaZulu-Natal, households in the three study sites were stratified into three main groups, namely gravity-fed irrigators, pump-fed irrigators and dry-land farmers. The gravity-fed and pump-fed irrigators/farmers were obtained from Tugela and Mooi River Irrigation Schemes. The dry-land farmers were sampled from the Machunwini area. In North West, data were collected with a structured questionnaire developed on the basis of the study objectives and review of the literature. Open- and close-ended questions were used for collecting demographic information. The second section of the questionnaire dealt with livelihood strategies, which include four capital assets, namely natural, physical, human and financial capital employed as a measure of the livelihood strategies used by the farmers on the schemes. The financial capital was measured on a three-point scale indicating availability, adequacy and non-adequacy. Physical capital investigated infrastructure, human capital (knowledge and skills) and natural capital (natural resources, mainly land and water). The third section concerned socio-economic status, considering access to credit and farm incomes. The last section was on food availability and accessibility. The questionnaire was designed to avoid ambiguity, sensitivity and provocation of respondents. In KwaZulu-Natal, the study employed a mixed method approach. Formal and informal data collection methods were used. Informal methods were in the form of focus group discussions. Five such sessions were conducted. In addition, key informant interviews were conducted. People considered to be familiar with the general aspects of political, economic, social, institutional and cultural environment, especially with respect to women, were identified and interviewed. In the case of the key informant interviews and the focus group discussions, interview guides were prepared first and then used in the sessions. The formal survey was designed to collect information from a representative set of households. A structured questionnaire, pre-tested before use, was administered by trained isiZulu-speaking enumerators. vi In this study, Stata (version 11) and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21) were used to analyse the data collected from farmers. Data presentation tools in the form of tables, bar graphs and pie charts were used. Descriptive analysis for all the variables was carried for data analysis. This involved looking at means, frequencies and standard deviations of the variables. The t-test was used to make comparisons between irrigators and non- irrigators, with respect to relevant continuous variables, and the χ2-test was used to test the degree of association between the irrigation access variable and other relevant categorical variables. A one-way ANOVA was employed to determine whether agricultural skills and knowledge had a significant effect on agricultural productivity. Data was subjected to various econometric models to get a better understanding of the patterns in different aspects among the farmers. The models included a simple linear regression model for estimating land access determinants, binary logit model for estimating the determinants of land security and the