Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jordyn Vandeleur
In Africa the agriculture sector employs 65% of the labor force and yet
still holds great amounts of untapped potential1. The African continent alone
holds 60% of the worlds arable uncultivated lands, while the land that is
being cultivated produces less than half the global average2 spelling
undernourished3. Not only the land, but also the people of Africa have the
Womens lack of land ownership rights has a strong historical context dating
during that time, historians have found the majority of land was controlled
through lineages and clans where ownership was passed through male
more recent years many countries have adopted laws reflecting a mix of
have become a part of society and culture, both cementing womens place
the laws, even when national governments have given women more rights
the laws are rarely upheld as women in rural communities are unaware of
their rights.
denying the poorest people the right to effect change. While voting laws
have changed the societal perceptions of land ownership and power are
preserved. By keeping women from owning land they are being denied equal
social footing. Land ownership is also tied to cultural identity and a key step
require cultural shifts, but once they are given these key rights it can pave
throughout society.
32% of GDP4, representing nearly one third of the continents entire economy
and a sector where many of the poorest people are employed. Of the food
produced in Africa women contribute to 80% of the production but only own
4 The World Bank. Fact Sheet: The World Bank and Agriculture in Africa
1% of the land5. Oftentimes women are only able to access the land through
women are often the ones working on the land and relying on the income
and food from it to support their family their husbands may sell the land
their in-laws may usurp the land. In Kenya one third of widowed women
reported they lost their land when their husbands died6. In this case not only
are they suddenly the sole supporters of their households they are cut off
from their livelihood. A lack of land rights denies them many opportunities
and invest in ones future. However, many women in Africa find themselves
cut off from formal lending sources, banks and state sanctioned creditors,
and unable to get loans without land. As often the most important and most
valuable asset that poor or rural people own is land, ownership is often the
women must rely on informal sources for lending, such as family and
community members. These sources are far less desirable for two reasons.
One is that the loans and access to capital tend to be smaller. Because of the
size constraint women are only able to embark on small ventures, stifling
achieve that men are not subject to. As most businesses become more
put at a disadvantage and growth that would benefit the entire country is
inferior options is that they will charge interest rates often over three times
that of formal institutions. These high interest rates can trap women in
cycles of debt and negate the appeal of opportunities loans can provide.
Many nonprofits and NGOs working in developing areas in Africa will give
loans targeting women as they recognize that women in general are more
risk averse and have been shown to invest more in their children, health, and
Ensuring equal property rights and laws that will protect womens
ownership and access to land are integral in not only creating a more
balanced and equal society but in unleashing the agricultural and economic
potential of the African continent. Land rights have strong historical ties
places them at the margins of society and by refusing a right their psyche
in food production giving them more access is not only logical but will lead to
and women will be able to compete with men in economic settings on equal
footing. Equal land rights have the potential to create a more equal society
and lead the way to economic development improving the lives of all.
References
Annual World Bank Conference On Land And Poverty 2013, Millicent Odeny. Annual World
Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2013. 2013. Academic Paper. World Bank
"Fact Sheet: The World Bank and Agriculture in Africa." The World Bank. The World Bank, n.d.
FAO. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015. Rep. N.p.: FAO, 2015. Print.
Kimani, Mary. "Women Struggle to Secure Land Rights | Africa Renewal Online." Africa
Renewal Apr. 2008: 10. UN News Center. UN, Apr. 2008. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
O's, J. "Cold Comfort Farms." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 04 Sept. 2013. Web.
08 Apr. 2016.
"Women's Land Rights and Africa's Development Conundrum Which Way Forward?"
International Institute for Environment and Development. IIED, 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 7
Apr. 2016.