The Dynamics of the Gendered Division of Labour in Agro Forestry: A Case Study of Njelele Ward III in Gokwe Zimbabwe

Abstract

Agriculture is the major livelihood in most developing countries. In Asia, 43 % of the workforce is engaged in agriculture, in Africa it is 60 %. It is also in the rural areas that poverty is most entrenched. 75 % of the poor live in rural areas and are directly or indirectly engaged in small scale agriculture. Development of small scale agriculture therefore has an enormous potential to contribute directly as well as indirectly to poverty alleviation through increased food security, income and economic growth at household as well as at national level. In small scale agriculture, family members provide most of the labour required and it is well known that in particular women play a major role in agricultural production; carrying out most of the work, and in ensuring food security. This is the case in Njelele ward (iii) which is situated in Gokwe rural community in Zimbabwe. However, women rarely have the formal rights to the land they work, the decision making power over resources or production decisions, nor access to information (in Africa, only 13 % of all farmers have access to agricultural information—and most of them are men). In spite of the major contribution of women to agricultural production, agriculture continues to be perceived as a male dominated sector: men have the land rights and the decision making power and the agricultural institutions (extension, research and boards) continue to be dominated by men. The paper suggests some strategies to redress the gender asymmetries in the agro forestry industry in Njelele.