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Farmers groups benefit women
2005-08-13 07:57:34
By Deodatus Mfugale
Women in the rural areas have often had to bear the brunt of inadequacies of life. They and their children are usually the most affected when there is food shortage in the homes. Women and girls have to walk long distances in search of water, firewood and sometimes vegetables.
Yet when the times are good, they are the last to enjoy the fruits of their sweat. Men usually take more than their fare share of whatever has been harvested from the farms of cooked in the homes. Women usually take a low profile, leaving the men to dictate matters.
However, things are now changing in many parts of the country as more and more women are taking an active role in development activities. Be it politics, economy, health or social welfare women are now taking centre stage in decision making and thus assuming an important role if community development.
One such example can be found among women in Morogoro and Mvomero District of Morogoro Region who ity to evaluate their work and decide what they should do improve the situation.
’’Our plan was not to work with women alone, and infact the groups comprise both men and women. However, the women are the majority and thus take centre stage in all decision making processes,” explained Justice Shekilango, MVIWATA Extension Officer.
He said that some women are chairpersons of the groups, others are secretaries and still others members of executive committees.
The Network’s role was to get all farmers women organised so as to work together as one team. Women were specially encouraged to recognize their talents, skills and ability.
They had to realise that they are an important cog in the development machine so get out of the inferiority complex shell.
Twelve years since MVIWATA started working with rural communities women members of the groups do not only produce enough food for themselves but they have also turned to alternative sources of income.
Sakina Abdallah of Kinole village in Morogoro District , for example, heads a group of that engages in drying fruits and vegetables by using solar energy. This is an activity that they undertake after the usual daily chores.
’’Most of the fruits and vegetable are available only during certain seasons. So we thought that by drying them, we could preserve and sell them when their season is over,’’she explained to a group of journalists. The fruits that are processed include mangoes, pinapples, oranges, tangerines and breadfruit.
All types of vegetables that are available in the region are processed and the exercise takes place from July to February.
’’But we only process fully matured fruits. Otherwise the fruits cannot be processed to taste and nor can they be preserve,’’ she noted.
Unfortunately there is no local market for the processed fruits and vegetables as everyone in the village has access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
However, the group secured market in one of the hotels in Arusha. They also secured orders to supply the dried fruits to a hotel in Zanzibar. But they could not sustain the orders.
’’With the kind of equipment we use, we can only process about seven kilograms at a time. We have only three sets of the equipment which are too few to enable us meet the orders. We need about ten sets of the equipment,’’ she explained.
Besides low production capacity, the equipment is also obsolete and the material used for packaging the dried fruits and vegetables is not the best quality as it can only preserve the same for a maximum of six months.
Yet even under the situation, members of the group earn extra income that goes a long way towards improving the quality of life.
Grace Mkwidu is a leader of a group of women farmers in Mgeta, Mvomero District, that propagates the use of organic pesticides which are applied on vegetables, fruits and other crops.
’’We encourage people to use the organic pesticides because they are not harmful to their health. And they are not expensive,’’ she explained.
The pesticide which is made from selected herbs, can be in the liquid or powder from. She identified the herbs in their local names as Kibembeni, Utupa, Mkundekunde, Wunduwundu and Fungamalele.
According to the group leader, a test was conducted to determine the effectiveness of both chemical and organic pesticides. The latter proved more effective when it came to killing aphids and other insects and pests.
The biggest advantage, according to the group leader, is that the vegetables or fruits can be consumed only after about six hours after the application of the insecticide without affecting a person’s health.
With chemical pesticides, the fruits and vegetables can be eaten after a week, at the earliest.
Commenting on the response of the farmers on use the organic pesticides Mkwidu said that many farmers are still reluctant to use the organic insect killer.
They still have faith in chemical insecticides and don’t trust the organic ones to be equally effective.
This, however, has not discouraged the group as they are optimistic that it is only a matter of time before farmers realize the full advantages of organic insecticides.
Francisca Lucas also from Mgeta heads an all- women group that grows flowers. Again this is an activity that supplements the major farming activities in bananas, beans cassava and vegetables.
According to Shekilango, the flower business was introduced to give the women an alternative to large scale farming but which would generate substancial revenue.
’’Sometimes it is not easy for women to haul sacks of beans or loads of cabbages, but it is easy to carry a bunch of flowers and the income is just as good,’’ he clarified.
The members of the group do not work full time on the flower farms. It is a part time job that leaves them plenty of time to attend to the main farming activities. By coincidence, the flowers are harvested at about the same time as the cabagges.
’’A straw basket (tenga) full of cabagge goes for 2,500/- and so does a bunch of flowers,” the Extension Officer said, adding that the flower growers stand an added advantage as they do not have to incur the cost of transport.
However, market is a big market for the flowers. Lucas explained that many people in the village see no point in keeping flowers inside their homes.
The group must thus depend on visitors from Morogoro Municipality and other towns who flock the village of Fridays to buy food stuffs and other commodities. Friday is the market day in the village.
MVIWATA is determined to promote the business and secure a more reliable market so as to enable women earn a better income.
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