Monitoring trends in women’s participation in agriculture is essential for assessing progress towards inclusive and sustainable rural development.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
More than half of South Africa's agricultural households are now headed by women, yet women remain significantly underrepresented when it comes to owning and managing commercial farms.
New analysis published by Statistics South Africa for Women's Month shows that women headed 52.9% of agricultural households in 2022, up from 47.9% in 2011.
Their participation is particularly important in rural South Africa.
Statistics South Africa found higher levels of agricultural activity among women-headed households in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo than in more urbanised provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape.
“This pattern suggests that women’s involvement in agriculture is closely linked to rural livelihoods,” Statistics South Africa said. Women-headed households are involved across agricultural activities, from livestock and poultry to growing crops, fruit and vegetables.
But the picture changes substantially when moving from household agriculture to commercial farming.
The latest available Commercial Census of Agriculture data shows women accounted for just 20.5% of owners of farming and related-services enterprises in 2018.
That was an improvement from 19.1% in 2007 but means only about one in five commercial farming businesses was owned by a woman.
Progress was also uneven as women's share of farm ownership increased in the Northern Cape, North West, Eastern Cape and Free State over the period while other provinces moved in the opposite direction.
The divide is similarly apparent in who gets to make decisions on farms. Women accounted for about a third of people employed full-time in farming and related services in 2018, but represented only 15.6% of farm managers.
At the same time, they occupied more than two-thirds of administrative positions on farms.
The latest available Commercial Census of Agriculture data shows women accounted for just 20.5% of owners of farming and related-services enterprises in 2018.
Image: ChatGPT
Women's contribution to agriculture is also not necessarily accompanied by a pay cheque.
In 2018, more than four in 10 family members working without pay in farming and related services were women. There has been significant improvement. The proportion had fallen from more than half in 2007, with declines recorded across every province.
Nevertheless, unpaid work remained particularly prevalent among women in several major agricultural provinces, including Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The figures point to two different pictures of women's place in South African agriculture.
At household level, their role has expanded to the point where women now head the majority of households involved in agricultural activity. In the commercial sector, however, women remain far less likely to own the businesses they work in or occupy the positions from which those businesses are managed.
Statistics South Africa said the findings underscored the importance of improving women's access to productive resources, agricultural support services and markets.
“The findings highlight the continued contribution of women to South Africa’s agricultural sector and underscore the importance of policies and programmes that support women’s access to productive resources, agricultural extension services and market opportunities.
"Monitoring trends in women’s participation in agriculture is essential for assessing progress towards inclusive and sustainable rural development,” the agency said.
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