The Collective Advantage: Farming Organisations and Gender Equality in MalawiCharlie AgerScotland Malawi Partnershipcharlie@scotland-malawipartnership.org

An agrarian economyIncreasing agricultural productivity is a key pillar in Malawi’s economic development and poverty reduction strategy

The Malawi Government’s Growth and Development Strategy recognises ‘agriculture [as] the single most important sector of the economy’ (GoM, 2006:13).

Gender disparities

Indicator Women Men

Proportion of land ownership

3% 97%

Proportion of farm labour

70% 30%

Proportion of income from farm labour

20% 80%

Source: OPC, Gov of Malawi, 2009

Benefits of women’s participation

1. Improving agricultural productive capacity

1. raising women’s social status

Role of Farming Organisations (FOs) FOs offer a model of addressing such

issues While the impact of FOs in mobilising

agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers is generally well established, their impact on women’s engagement and empowerment has been less thoroughly examined.

Research questions

What are the perceived barriers which limit women farmers’ full participation in the Malawian agricultural sector?

Does membership to a farming organisation address these barriers?

Methodolgy 17 key informant interviews

government officials non-governmental advisors FO lead farmers

5 focus groups with women engaged with FOs farmers clubs poultry, coffee and bee producers cooperatives

Barriers to participation identified by women farmers 1: Structural barriers

Inequitable land ownership

Restricted land control

Barriers to participation identified by women farmers 2: Material barriers

Minimal and irrelevant extension services

Shortage of credit

Limited market access

Barriers to participation identified by women farmers 3: Socio-cultural barriers

Triple roles

Educational opportunities

 Collective advantage of FOs 1: material barriers?

securing economies of scale

Available and relevant extension servicesAccess to agricultural assetsIdentifying markets

 Collective advantage of FOs 2: socio-cultural barriers?

Building social capital and leadership opportunities

Social cohesion and trustLeadership through democratic structuresAdvocacy role-community development

 Collective advantage of FOs 3: structural barriers?

Membership by User Rights, not Land Tenure

Opportunity of reformed membership criteria

Obstacle of feesLand reform

Land Reform

The Malawi National Land Policy approved, 2002

Land Amendment Act drafted in 2004

President Joyce Banda, April 2012

“In the coming fiscal year, Government will scale up women economic empowerment activities by facilitating transition of women business groups into cooperatives to make them commercially viable; and intensifying efforts of linking the groups to industries, viable markets and financing services. Mr. Speaker, Sir, very soon, I will be launching the Presidential Initiative on poverty and hunger reduction which will among other things mobilise women to form cooperatives to grow cash crops.”

‘the one who has land has life’