Women are driving change and growth in agriculture in the North West, where unemployment remains stubbornly high.
Agriculture MEC Madoda Sambatha, speaking at a recent tribute event for barley farmers in Taung, called for greater inclusion of women and youth in the sector.
Sambatha said women were the backbone of food production in the province and should be given greater access to resources, training and funding.
The North West government is ramping up efforts to attract young people into farming with 27,000 learnerships created this year through the department of labour, of which 14,000 are dedicated to agriculture.
“In all the funding processes we engage in, we critically compel that anyone who approves funding must give us a statistic report of how many young people, how many women, how many people with disabilities are funded in the programmes,” Sambatha said.
“Nationally out of 11 agricultural colleges, two are in North West. One is in Taung, the only irrigation college in South Africa. We are proud of that, but we must ensure young people use the opportunities.”
The Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed while total employment increased by 132,000 between the third and fourth quarters of 2024, agriculture shed 11,000 jobs, which was a 1.2% decline.
Agriculture employed 920,000 people by the end of 2024, of which 296,000 were women. Female employment in the sector grew by 4.3% during the same period while male employment fell.
Nationally, unemployment stood at 31.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 with women and youth the hardest hit.
“To focus on them is not charity. It’s to resolve the socio-economic challenges we have as a province,” said Sambatha.
South African Breweries (SAB) vice president of corporate affairs Zoleka Lisa said SAB’s barley supply chain supports 32,000 jobs across four provinces and contributes R1.4bn to the economy.
“Beer is natural, made of homegrown ingredients such as barley. It’s local and proudly South African and it’s inclusive. It allows women and young people to take part across the value chain,” she said.
Lisa said women were increasingly excelling in farming. “In the past three years, the best-performing farmer has usually been a woman. It’s breaking the mould and proving women can set the bar and the standard,” she said.
Among the women recognised at the event was Smous Dorcas Madithole, who was named Best Female Farmer for her yields in barley, maize meal, beans, peanuts and wheat.
“Farming builds nations. When I grow my crops and harvest, the produce impacts other people. It doesn’t end with me because other people are fed from my crops. That makes me happy,” said Madithole.
She urged women not to shy away from farming.
“Women should stand up and not accept that farming is a male-dominated field. I want to encourage other women and let us stand up and come together in growing the industry because there is space for us all.”
Lisa said agriculture offered young people opportunities beyond the fields: “You can learn about research and development, you can be in the lab, you can be in the field. The agronomists in Taung are two young females. They’ve decided on a career in agriculture. You can make a good living in the sector."
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