HARARE, Jun 9 (NewsDay Live) - Women smallholder farmers from different parts of the country recently attended a transformative training workshop aimed at strengthening their role in food sovereignty, gender justice and climate resilience.
The workshop, organized by the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF) and sponsored by Bizi lur through the global peasant movement La Via Campesina, is being held under the theme “Popular and Peasant Feminism Training.”
The training brought together women farmers from Mhondoro, Mtoko, Juru, and Zvimba to deepen their understanding of peasant and popular feminism and its significance in advancing the struggles of rural women within food systems and agricultural production.
Participants were trained to take a leading role in achieving food sovereignty. Discussions also focused on the links between popular feminism and the struggle for communities to control their food systems, seeds, land and natural resources.
Speaking during the workshop, ZIMSOFF programmes officer Patience Shumba said the training sought to equip women farmers with knowledge to challenge inequalities while strengthening their participation in agroecology and food sovereignty initiatives.
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“Women are central to food production and community well-being, yet they continue to face various forms of discrimination and exclusion," she said.
"This training is helping women understand their rights, build solidarity and strengthen their participation in the struggle for food sovereignty. Popular and peasant feminism recognizes the important role women play in agriculture and seeks to transform the systems that perpetuate inequality,” said Shumba.
Participants examined patriarchy and other forms of oppression that continue to affect women in rural communities.
They also explored access to land as a key enabler of food sovereignty, noting that secure land rights for women are essential for sustainable food production, economic empowerment and climate resilience.