Lilongwe,
Dorothy Mtuwe, 30, dark complexioned, of small build and serene stands at 1.5 metres and looks younger than her peers. 

She, a mother of two, her life has been wrought through hardship, divorce and huge responsibility.

Since her divorce in 2011, her life has swayed between complete lack and the verge of begging that she detests. Right now her food confers is almost drained.

On this Thursday, she took to the field with her barefooted five-year-old son don in a striped long-sleeved casual shirt and a camouflaged pair of shorts whose colour had been obscured by dirt.

He came from the hovering shed of a baobab at the centre of the field and shyly hid behind an extension of her wrapper, hiding his face from the camera.

Hanif is the name of the boy who by ten in the morning had enough dirt to last a week of playfield filth.

At her age, without a husband and no steady income in Kefa village, TA Kalembo in Balaka, that is as far from Mangochi as it is far from Balaka and Machinga, life is tough.

She lives in a muddy two roomed grass thatched house which apart from her land, it’s all she owns.

“Sometimes it’s cold and it leaks when rains fall,” she said, “But I will have my iron roof from the harvest which I expect to double with conservation agriculture.”

She is among thousands of women in the country who are extremely vulnerable and Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) is working to empower.

Sixty percent of women in the area are single mothers- a product of divorce, death and migration.

For most men in the area it’s the lake and work in South Africa says Jackson Juwawo, Agriculture Extension Development Coordinator in Ulongwe Extension Planning Area, Balaka.

“We have 638 lead farmers, 387 female lead farmers trained by SAPP in this area,” said Juwawo.

“Here, 60 per cent of women are single and in farming,” he added.

“With 387 female lead farmers in this area it translates to 7740 farmers on average reached,” he said and adds, “And now women are more forthcoming to access extension services. They identify with other women.”

Annie Kalonga, 35, single mother of two, with 15 follower farmers, six of whom are female also says life is a hassle. Luckily for her and other lead farmers in Balaka, they will receive seeds and fertilizers for the growing season in their model fields.

In Malawi says women represent 70 per cent of agricultural labour and 30 per cent of all smallholders.

Madalitso Mgumbe, Agri-business Development Officer in Balaka says more women are yet to take up farming as business aspect, but was hopeful of a change as more are now participating in trainings and some are multiplying seeds for sale.

He says women are likely bound to take advantage of the opportunities that lay ahead in agri-business.

Alex Malembo, National Programme Coordinator for Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development says empowering women in agriculture will increase production and nutrition in households.

“Women understand development issues easily and since we want development to begin at household level, we would like to have more women in the programme.

“When we were starting the programme, only 33 per cent of women were involved in active agriculture productivity, but now we have close to 50 per cent women. The results are quite phenomenal as more women are also following the female lead famers. So far we have reached 9198 farmers involved in agriculture,” says Malembo.

Said Malembo: “Some women are involved in seed multiplication and have been linked to seed producers for a ready market. We believe encouraging women will increase production and improved nutrition status of homes. With promotion of livestock and legume production, dietary diversification will be achieved.”

The programme is training lead farmers, providing legume seed and fertilizers to promote productivity.

According to Kalembo, 53 tonnes of NPK fertilizer and 53 tonnes of Urea fertilizers to farmers in Chitipa, Nkhotakota, Lilongwe, Balaka, Blantyre and Chirazulu.

Studies and other initiatives also reveal that women empowerment is good for both economic growth and food security in Africa and Malawi as well.

 “Closing the gender gap could help reduce hunger and improve livelihoods for Africa’s growing population, which is expected to quadruple within the next 90 years. If women worldwide had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 per cent and raise total agricultural output by 2.5–4 per cent. Gains in agricultural production alone could lift 100 to 150 million people out of hunger,” according to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimate.

Women in Malawi remain an active economic force. They are 52 per cent of the total population, and about 67 per cent of those are below the poverty line. Women provide 70 of labour for the cash crops and 97per cent of women are involved in subsistence agriculture. Literacy rates for women are lower (44 per cent) compared to men’s (72 per cent).

While reeling with the grim picture painted by the statistics, women are bound to take charge as they invade the men domain in agriculture and deliberate programming is doing that.

International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) pumped in US$51 million into SAPP for the nine year program.