As a way of life that goes back thousand years, pastoralism has played a very important role in shaping societal relations and defining our diets, culture and religion. While always in motion, over the last 50 years pastoralism has evolved more rapidly, as ‘modern’ agriculture gained popularity as a way to meet industry’s insatiable demands for raw materials.

The nomadic and semi-nomadic ways of pastoralists and their need to access large tracts of grazing land stands in the way of modern agriculture. The fencing off of large grazing lands either for commercial agriculture under freehold tenure, ecotourism, wildlife and export farming has pushed pastoralism to the brink of collapse, affecting the rural economy in many countries. This has led to conflicts as pastoralists now compete with crop farmers and other pastoralists for access to remaining lands and water sources. This situation has worsened under climate change. Pastoralists received little attention in public policies, most of which seek to entice foreign investment. Despite recognition of the importance of pastoralism in regional and global policies, implementation at national levels is minimal. The few existing national policies focused on livestock are limited to promoting commercial livestock rearing for the domestic market or to earn foreign exchange. For example, by prescribing stocking rates for pastoralists in order to curb environmental degradation and to avoid spread of diseases to commercial herds.

As a consequence, herds have shrunk and ownership has changed. Before the 1980s in Zimbabwe, women and children used to own cattle, goats and sheep, but today this is no longer so. Now, any remaining livestock are all owned by the heads of the households, most of whom are men. This has affected the livelihood options, nutrition security and decision making of women and children. In addition, pastoralist women’s contributions in the form of herding (where social norms permit), rearing, milking, feeding, cleaning and more often has a layer of invisibility around it. In situations of increased conflict, as is happening in east Africa, pastoralists have been facing unprecedented levels of threat and militarisation. This further exacerbates the marginalisation of women and children.

The marginalisation of women within an already vulnerable pastoral society is rarely mentioned in policy debates. We urge our governments to protect pastoralism as a way of life and to establish conflict resolution mechanisms to address the many challenges that pastoralists face in the 21st century, especially the women among them. This must happen through meaningful consultations with pastoralists, building on their indigenous knowledge and initiatives for resilience.

Elizabeth Mpofu (eliz.mpofu@gmail.com) is the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Organic Smallholder Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF).

ILEIA would like to thank Elizabeth for providing Farming Matters with four excellent columns this year.

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There are no recipes in agroecology. Instead, its manual is in the heart and minds of those who practice it, which is evident in their interactions with the environment and other people. Harmony with nature and nutrition takes precedence over profits. This anchors our culture, shapes our identity and sets the parameters for our transformation as a society.

Personally agroecology has enabled me to learn from other women and to promote and create awareness about women’s issues. Through agroecology, women have contributed to shaping a society and healthy communities based on justice and solidarity. This society is able to withstand and adapt to an ever changing environment – socially, politically and economically.

Finding indicators to measure these impacts is not easy, especially during this era concerned with statistics, costs and profits. Most assessments of agroecology focus on ecological benefits such as no use of chemical fertilizers and diversification, but very little attention is given to gender aspects. Such a bias hides the impact agroecology has as an instigator of social change and as a result, such changes are attributed to other causes such as policy shifts. How then to duly attribute important social change to agroecology?

Social integration and cohesion provide a foundation for society to tackle various issues, including gender inequality. Learning and sharing, at the core of agroecology, provides women with the space to meet regularly and mobilise for various issues including equality. Cohesion is strengthened through, for example, horizontal learning exchanges and by keeping cultural and religious practices alive with rituals and ceremonies. This creates social conditions that erode patriarchal barriers: women are mobilised and the silos of patriarchy that kept women within the homestead and crop fields are less now. This has changed the mindsets of policy makers, traditional leaders and men in the home. The evidence – seen in Africa, Latin America and Asia – is improvements in women’s rights. These include access to and control over land, inheritance, and active roles in decision making by women.

No conventional accounting can capture the real profits from agroecology. But besides the fact that a billion rural farmers feed about 60 % of the world with diverse and nutritious crops, we do know that agroecology is changing the lives of women farmers and their communities. Through this lens, industrial agriculture, with its collateral damage to soil biology, the atmosphere and to social cohesion, cannot be justified.

Elizabeth Mpofu (eliz.mpofu@gmail.com) is the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Organic Smallholder Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF). She is Farming Matters’ regular columnist for 2016.

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In the whole of Africa and especially in my country, Zimbabwe, our elders cultivated crops not just for the sake of growing food but also for many other purposes, including for health, their relationship with nature, and their cultural and spiritual practices that are important to identity and belonging. Moreover, after many decades of unsuccessful experience with the green revolution, we have seen that traditional crops are easier to grow. Thus, where l come from, many smallholder farmers are now abandoning hybrid crops grown with a lot of fertilizers and other chemicals, and are replacing them with a wide variety of traditional ones.

In the cities of Zimbabwe, l have witnessed an increasing demand for foods based on traditional crops. Medical practitioners are recommending such foods to their patients suffering from various ailments. Herbal pharmacies and food outlets that serve organic dishes based on traditional crops are now common and popular among urban dwellers. The link between traditional crops and local culture is direct. Some crops have meaningful local names related to our culture, some of which reflect their relation with women. For example, some traditional maize varieties are called mbuya usafe, meaning grandmother do not die; and mukadzi usaende, meaning my wife do not run away. Small grains such as rapoko (finger millet) and mapfunde (sorghum) and mhunga (pearl millet) are used in traditional ceremonies. And pulses such as cowpeas and beans have always been present on our farms, enriching our diets and also the soils. They are easily intercropped, and you can dry the leaves and have vegetables all year round.

To keep cultural eating habits and practices alive, as women, we play a big role. We are well aware of different crops and varieties, and their importance to the health of the family. Preserving seeds and the various ways of processing them are also women’s roles. l take advantage of the many meetings and conferences l attend to talk about the importance of these traditional crops and their relation with women. My own experiences with these traditional crops while growing up in a community and family has given me strength to speak out and I encourage other women to raise their voices as well.

Our messages are clear: we want our governments to protect our traditional crops and not to introduce costly new varieties which require agrochemicals which damage nature and our health. We cannot let our culture die. We need resources to raise awareness of the benefits of traditional crops, particularly among the new generation that is being seduced by unhealthy food.

Elizabeth Mpofu (eliz.mpofu@gmail.com) is the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Organic Smallholder Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF). She is Farming Matters regular columnist for 2016.

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Learning is a lifetime activity. Nowhere is this clearer than in agriculture, and especially among women farmers. Being responsible for over 70% of agricultural production on our continent, we farm through knowledge sharing. In complex and closely knit social groups, starting in early childhood, knowledge is birthed, nurtured and passed on. This knowledge relates to a wide range of topics, such as seed selection and storage, farming methods, nutrition and traditional medicine.

Our grandparents used to tell us: ‘chara chimwe hachitswanyi inda’, meaning: ‘for a person to achieve his or her goals they need help, ideas and knowledge from other people’. So we share knowledge as we walk to fetch water, gather firewood, during traditional ceremonies and as we take our children to clinics. Every space in our community is a space to learn and share what one knows.

Women farm through knowledge sharing

As women, despite historical negligence because of patriarchy, we have used co-creation of knowledge to assert our rights and to strengthen the position of rural women. We formed groups and started to engage in farmer-to-farmer learning. We organized seed fairs to share the diversity of our own native indigenous seeds and we organised food fairs to showcase our traditional foods. This enabled us to link with consumers. By sharing ideas and sharing knowledge we joined other women’s organisations and lobbied together for favourable agricultural policies. This helped us to better understand how government structures operate.

As we women are responsible for producing enough food in times of climate change, we decided to work with other farmers and progressive researchers to co-create new ways and means of farming. After many years of perfecting our ways of farming, and because our social, ecological and economic contexts are changing, scientists and policy makers are beginning to embrace our knowledge. They see the value of our methods of ecological farming, now called agroecology, that is rooted in indigenous knowledge systems, and seeks harmony and respects mother nature. Our way of farming is currently being propagated as a way to solve the climate crisis and reduce poverty. Through knowledge co-creation with progressive scientists and many others, we as women farmers are working towards achieving food sovereignty (not food security) and producing enough food for our families.

Elizabeth Mpofu

Elizabeth Mpofu (eliz.mpofu@gmail.com) is the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Organic Smallholder Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF).

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