The African Farmers Workshop and Expo will celebrate Women’s Month by honouring women in agriculture at the Women in Farming Awards gala dinner on 13 August 2014. This prestigious function is part of the three-day African Farmers Workshop and Expo which takes place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec in Johannesburg from 12 to 14 August. AFWE aims to empower emerging and subsistence farmers across South Africa.

“The gender gap in African agriculture has created many challenges for women,” says Mahlatse Masimini, CEO of Moshate Media, organisers of the event. “This gap makes it extremely challenging for African women to move out of poverty and thrive. This is despite the fact that 80% of agricultural production comes from smallholder farmers, most of whom are women, and the many challenges they face such as denial of land ownership, no access to credit, lack of quality seeds and fertiliser, to name a few.

South Africa Honours Its Women Farmers
“The main objectives of the Women in Farming Awards are to recognise women farmers, celebrate their achievements and reward their successes,” explains Masimini. Although women farmers in Africa do not get the credit they deserve, South Africa has started looking at female farmers and what they can achieve. The Women in Farming Awards will honour outstanding women farmers in five different categories which are processing; export markets; commercial farming; smallholder farming, and best young female farmer.

Stand-out Nominees
Sindisiwe Sabela, Manager at Ikhwezi Development Project, was nominated as Top Entrepreneur Farmer in the Commercial Farming category for her fresh produce. The Project grows tomatoes for the local market and baby marrows and patty pans for export. “It is really nice to be recognised for the hard work we do; I now know the more you put in, the more you will get out,” says Sabela. “We have adopted a primary school in our area which we provide with fresh and healthy foods.” Maria Mulungo owns the farm Mulungo Agricultural, and started farming part-time in 2003. She became a full-time farmer in 2005. She was nominated for The Top Entrepreneur Farmer in the Smallholder Category for her livestock farming. “I have a piggery and also grow different crops on the farm, including cabbage, spinach and lettuce,” says Mulungo. “It is a great honour for me to be nominated for this award.” One of the nominees for Top Entrepreneur Farmer in the Processing category is Carol Mogoane, Chairperson of Maano'a Basadi. She manufactures fresh farm milk which is sold at the local Spar supermarket in Phokwane Village. “We also process other dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt,” adds Mogoane. “I am really happy about this nomination and it means that our business will grow.”

AFWE Empowers Women
Expo organiser Mahlatse Masimini says that the African Farmers Workshop and Expo aims to connect aspiring women farmers to all the information, expertise, technology, products and services they will need to succeed. “With all the challenges women farmers face, they especially need all the help they can get,” says Masimini. “We launched the African Farmers Workshop and Expo three years ago as a platform to facilitate training and skills development for farmers. This year, AFWE encourages visiting farmers to adopt better production practices and use agricultural resources more efficiently. They will also have the opportunity to share information on how to expand and sustain farms into the future, which is good for every South African,” concludes Masimini.