Issue #13

As promised, we are pleased to bring you a special issue of FRW in honour of International Women’s Day. We hope you will find it full of materials and inspiration to help you mark the occasion at your radio organization.

This week’s News in Review features articles by and about African women. Mahoua Hien of Radio Burkina brings us the story of an innovative Burkinabé women’s cooperative that became the first to preserve – and create an international market for – shea fruit. And from Frauke Röschlau, our correspondent in Namibia, we have the story of two women who took advantage of evolving laws to purchase land and prove that women have a place in every aspect of agriculture, from working the land to making business decisions.

We are also pleased to highlight some past FRW news stories and DCFRN scripts on the issues and innovations of rural women. We hope that these materials help to fill your airwaves – and perhaps inspire you to uncover the stories of creative and dedicated women farmers in your area. Please remember to visit the FRW website (http://weekly.farmradio.org/) to post a comment, sharing your experiences of reporting and broadcasting around International Women’s Day!

Finally, we want to remind you that there is still time to enter the scriptwriting competition on African Farmers’ Strategies for Coping with Climate Change. The deadline is March 15, 2008. Fifteen winners will have their script shared with the DCFRN network and receive a high quality digital audio recorder. For more information on the contest, see the DCFRN Action item below and visit: http://scriptcompetition.net/.

Happy reading!

-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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African Farm News in Review

1. Burkina Faso: Women’s group finds new use for “green gold” (by Mahoua Hien, for Farm Radio Weekly, in Burkina Faso)
2. Southern Africa: Black women break into commercial farming (by Frauke Röschlau, for Farm Radio Weekly, in Windhoek, Namibia)

-Past FRW stories of women in agriculture

Upcoming Events

-March 15, 2008 – Deadline for expressions of interest: research grants on gender and land in Southern Africa

-March 31, 2008 – Deadline for nominations: Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life

Radio Resource Bank

-Resource kit on women in micro-enterprises

-Media resource pack on sexual and reproductive health

DCFRN Action

-International panel to judge scriptwriting competition on climate change

DCFRN Script of the Week

-DCFRN scripts on issues facing rural women

-Women, Property, and Inheritance

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The shea tree has long been known as “green gold” to women in Western Africa. Many parts of the tree are harvested, but the greatest economic value lies in the shea nut. The butter produced from shea nuts is used in local homes and is now in demand around the world.Until very recently, though, the green shea fruit has been discarded in the process of making shea butter. Women and their children snacked on the fruit as they worked in the field, but most fruit went to waste. All that changed when a women’s group in Burkina Faso decided to preserve and sell the fruit they enjoyed.

L’Association Songtaab Yalgre has earned worldwide acclaim for being the first to produce and sell shea jam. Sold under the brand name Karidelice – a combination of the French words for “shea” and “delight” – the new product has boosted employment in the highly successful women’s cooperative.

Marceline Ouedraogo is the President of l’Association Songtaab Yalgre, or ASY. She explains that shea fruit was known locally as a seasonal delicacy. By creating Karidelice, the ASY found a way to preserve a fruit that grows in abundance for only a short period each year.

The company created two shea jam recipes. One uses honey to bring out the natural flavour of shea, which is similar in taste to a date or fig. Another is sold with no sugar added.

Mass production of the shea jam became possible after an industrial engineering student from Canada worked with the women to develop quality control procedures. Karidelice is now sold in Europe, and ASY is looking to market the product in the United States.

ASY holds the copyright for Karidelice and is still the only organization to process and sell shea jam. The innovation has won the organization numerous awards. Mrs. Ouedraogo explains that the money and fame brought by these awards will allow the organization to pursue other ways to process and market shea products.

ASY began more than 15 years ago, when 30 women got together to learn to read and write. Now, more than 3,000 women work as part of the organization, processing and selling shea jam and shea butter. ASY also operates an information centre aimed at improving women’s health – providing training on maternal health, preventing the spread of HIV, and combating the practice of female genital cutting.

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Many people in the farming community of Nina, in eastern Namibia, were shocked when Clara Bohitile purchased some unused land to begin farming. Sceptics thought that a woman could only make the run down fields even worse. But Ms. Bohitile was up for the challenge.

Raised in a family that reared cattle and goats, Ms. Bohitile took courses offered by a local agricultural union. With this training, and the expertise of supportive neighbours, she was soon operating a five thousand hectare livestock operation. In 2006, her success was recognized when she was presented with the Emerging Farmer of the Year Award.

Thanks to the process of land reform and new legislation to promote gender equality in many parts of Southern Africa, more women like Ms. Bohitile are able to acquire land and begin farming. One example is the new Namibian law that grants married women the right to own property without the consent and signature of their husbands.

Many black farmers – both men and women – have also benefited from post-apartheid land reform aimed at bringing about more equitable land distribution. For instance, Ms. Bohitile purchased her land through a preferential loan for formerly disadvantaged groups. But Bohitile says she was one of the fortunate ones able to find success despite little government support.

Olga Nghatsane, the winner of South Africa’s Female Farmer of the Year Award, agrees. She says that she did not feel discriminated against as a black woman venturing into commercial farming – but she does feel that the government is not doing enough to support entrepreneurs like her.

Ms. Nghatsane did not receive any government support or training when she invested in a poultry, mushroom, and strawberry farm five years ago. She joined her local farming association, but no one in her area farmed poultry on a commercial level. Eventually, she tracked down extension officers who put her in touch with experienced farmers.

Now that her dream of farming has become a successful reality, Ms. Nghatsane has found that many grants are available to her. She plans to expand her operations in the hope of scaling up to supply large supermarkets.

And while neither Ms. Bohitile nor Ms. Nghatsane believe that their governments do enough to support black women farmers, they are re-investing in the agricultural communities that supported them. Ms. Nghatsane shares her experiences with other emerging farmers in her association. And for her part, Ms. Bohitile is pleased to see that three other women have taken up the challenge of purchasing land in her area.

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Through our first 12 issues of FRW, we have “met” many innovative and groundbreaking women in agriculture. As International Women’s Day approaches, you may wish to reacquaint yourselves – and your audience – with some of these farmers, traders, and entrepreneurs.

Jessica Nanyunja, a nutritionist who created a business by realizing the value of discarded egg shells:
-Uganda: Egg shells can be a source of calcium – and profit (The Monitor)

Margaret Nakyejjwe, who broke tradition and took charge of her role in the fishing industry by purchasing her own boat:
-Uganda: Women fishers break traditions (New Vision)

Women’s groups in remote villages of eastern Uganda who invested in a new technology that saves time and increases profit:
-Uganda: Groundnut sheller saves time, boosts profits (New Vision and Agroinnovations Podcast)

Phoebe Mbasounn, also known as Madame Cassava, who uses her cell phone and the Internet to get the best price for her product:
-Africa: Cell phones help farmers and traders do business more efficiently (Farm Radio Weekly and AfricaNews.com)

Women seed traders in Mali whose knowledge of locally-adapted sorghum and millet varieties plays a vital role in local agricultural systems:
-Mali: Women traders play crucial role in providing locally adapted seeds (International Food Policy Research Institute)

Phillipina Ndamane, a pensioner who grows vegetables in a community garden to help support herself, her sister, and nine grandchildren and orphans:
-South Africa: Community gardens help women farmers maintain their independence (allAfrica.com)

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This story provides an exceptional example of the power of women’s cooperatives. The motto of l’Association Songtaab Yalgre is “une femme, un revenue” or “one woman, one income.” By scaling up the traditional practice of processing shea nuts into butter and creating the innovative shea fruit product Karidelice, the organization has created sustainable employment for more than 3,000 Burkinabé women. Their profits have not only improved the lives of women members; they have also been invested in the health of all women in their community. Their cooperative’s information and communications hub – Maison d’Information et de Promotion du Karité – serves the dual purpose of promoting shea products and promoting women’s health.

The website for l’Association Songtaab Yalgre (ASY) can be found here:
http://www.songtaaba.net/index.html

More information on ASY’s award-winning product, Karidelice, can be found at the following sites:
-ASY’s newsletter, with an article explaining how the organization became eligible for, and ultimately won, prizes for their innovation: http://www.songtaaba.net/journal/journal_N%203_fr.pdf
-An article by CECI (Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale) explaining the role of Canadian industrial engineering student Chantal Bernatchez in helping ASY prepare for mass production of Karidelice: http://publication.ceci.ca/fr/bulletin/omni/articles/10925.aspx
-A feature on ASY and Karidelice in the newsletter L’Evénement: http://www.evenement-bf.net/pages/societe_89.htm

You may wish to find and profile a women’s cooperative in your area:
-What sorts of products does the group produce? Do they use these products in their homes, sell them (or both)?
-What traditional materials and methods does the cooperative use? What new materials or methods have they learned about or discovered?
-Has the group been able to access training or funding programs to support their endeavours? What channels did they go through to obtain this support?
-What direct benefits have members of the cooperative experienced, such as improved income or better access products? Has the group been able to support women in the community at large (for example, with women’s health or women’s rights initiatives)?

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This news story explores the important relationship between women’s rights and women’s ability to independently pursue livelihoods. Both of the women farmers featured in the article benefited from improved land laws, as well as the support and acceptance of local agriculture organizations. Our correspondent, Frauke Röschlau, explained that both farmers took up their endeavours as a personal challenge and as an opportunity to show that women could succeed in every aspect of the agriculture business.

For more information on women’s rights, particularly in relation to land, you may wish to find national or local organizations working in your area. You may also be interested in the following general information on gender and land rights:
-The International Food Policy Research Institute’s media briefing on land rights in Africa: http://www.ifpri.org/media/CAPRiLand/LandFacts.asp.
-An information note prepared by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization on “gender, property rights, and livelihoods in the era of AIDS”:
http://www.sarpn.org/documents/d0002941/index.php.

As well, you may consider the following program options:
-Invite a panel, perhaps including local land rights experts and successful women farmers, to talk about legal challenges and opportunities for women.
-Host a call-in program that invites women farmers to share their experiences with land rights and/or non-traditional roles in the agriculture.

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The Program for Land and Agrarian Studies is seeking expressions of interest for research on gender and land to be carried out in Southern Africa, through an initiative funded by the International Development Research Centre in collaboration with the International Land Coalition and Makerere Institute for Social Research. Securing Women’s Access to Land: Linking Research and Action, seeks to generate locally-based knowledge by supporting civil society and women’s organizations that have significant experience in supporting women’s land (and other) rights.

Four grants of a maximum of US$50,000 will be given to initiatives led by community-based organizations (CBOs) in collaboration with NGOs, research institutes, and policy organizations. The four grants will be distributed among South Africa, Madagascar, and two other countries in the sub-region.
For more details on the program, including the official Call for Expression of Interest, visit: http://www.plaas.org.za/.

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The Women’s World Summit Foundation is seeking nominees for a prize that recognizes women’s contributions to sustainable development, household food security, and peace. The prize aims to draw international attention to the winners’ work, thus generating recognition and support for their projects and activities. Up to 20 women will be given the award for Creativity in Rural Life and receive a $500 prize.
Submissions must be received by mail (in Geneva, Switzerland), by March 31, 2008. Entries should emphasize any of the following elements:
-exceptional courage and perseverance in improving rural life;
-creativity in the approach;
-preservation of and respect for the environment;
-continuing impact on the community.
For more details on the nomination process, as well as information on past winners, visit: http://www.woman.ch/women/1-introduction.php.

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The Commonwealth Connects Program has developed a Multi Media Resource Kit designed to assist radio organizations in preparing programs on the subject of women involved in micro-enterprises. The kit includes detailed information on how to start and operate a micro-enterprise, as well as tips on how to use radio programming to reinforce the capacities of women in micro-enterprises. You can find the resource kit online at: http://www.radiommrk.org/presentation_an.html.

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Panos Media has developed a toolkit designed to help producers and journalists cover the complex issues concerning the right to health and access to sexual and reproductive health services. Good Choice: the Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health describes barriers to public discussion on these issues, including stigma, discrimination, legislation, and funding influences that control policy, and how some countries have overcome these barriers. It also provides links to three radio programs available for free download. The programs include interviews on the following issues: illegal abortions (Kenya), men and sexual health services (Zambia), and teen sex (Uganda). The toolkit can be found online at: http://www.panos.org.uk/PDF/reports/relaytoolkit4.pdf.

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As the March 15, 2008, deadline for submitting entries to the scriptwriting competition “African Farmers’ Strategies for Coping with Climate Change” approaches, DCFRN is pleased to announce that the following confirmed judges will evaluate the scripts:

1. Venus Jennings from the Media Capacity Building Section at the
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (http://portal.unesco.org/).
2. Nathalie Beaulieu from the International Development Research
Centre’s (IDRC) Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) program (www.idrc.ca).
3. Kelvin Chibomba from OneWorld Africa (http://africa.oneworld.net/).
4. Andreas Mandler from The German Organization for Technical
Cooperation (http://www.gtz.de/en/).
5. Leon van den Boogerd from the Radio Netherlands Training Centre (http://www.rntc.nl/).
6. Anna Egan from Panos UK (http://www.panos.org.uk).
7. Sayouba Traoré from Radio France Internationale (http://www.rfi.fr/).

All African radio organizations are invited to submit a script about local adaptations to climate change, which should be prepared with the input of local people, especially farmers. Fifteen winners will be chosen to work with DCFRN to edit and improve their scripts, which will be shared with the DCFRN network. And each of the 15 winners will receive a high quality digital audio recorder. Details on the competition – including an information kit on climate change and scriptwriting tips – can be found online at: http://scriptcompetition.net/. Entries can be submitted by e-mail to bmckay@farmradio.org

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Over the years, the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network has offered many scripts about the distinctive roles and issues of rural women. These have included interviews with rural women working to improve life for their families and communities, as well as dramas that describe how some women are coping with complex problems. In fact, the latest DCFRN script package focused on the distinctive health issues of rural women and girls (http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/). We invite you to take another look at the following scripts, to see which of these women’s stories may interest your audience:

Beatrice Asimwe, a farmer from Mbarara in Western Uganda, whose innovative rainwater collection techniques have allowed her to pursue new business ventures:
-A woman farmer harvests water and grows vegetables in the dry season (Package 76, Script 9, October 2005)

Wangari Maathai of Kenya, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, who inspires others to conserve fuelwood by using efficient stoves:
-Improved cookstoves make life easier for women (Package 73, Script 2, January 2005)

Elizabeth Mutwa, a lawyer who explains the steps women can take to protect their property rights and prevent “property grabbing” if their husband dies:
-Women, property, and inheritance (Package 73, Script 4, January 2005)

“Ashanti”, the character of a grandmother who learns how to help her daughter, who is suffering from postpartum depression:
-Maternal postpartum depression (Package 82, Script 3, November 2007)

Maimuna Traoré and Mariéme Traoré, members of a women’s group in Malicounda, Western Senegal, who, after learning about the negative health consequences of female genital cutting, mobilized their community to stop the practice:
-No more female genital cutting: Villages in Senegal celebrate 10 years of women’s rights (Package 82, Script 4, November 2007)

“Lada”, the character of a young mother who decides that family planning is important for her health and the well being of her children.
-My body, myself: A woman’s bittersweet choice (Package 57, Script 10, October 2000)

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In January 2005, DCFRN distributed a script package dealing with HIV/AIDS and Food Security. Some of these scripts described ways in which HIV and AIDS can burden women, through increased workloads as farmers and caregivers, and threat of property loss if husbands die. As this week’s news story on commercial farming reminds us, land rights are crucial to women farmers’ ability to make a livelihood.

We invite you to review this script on Women, Property, and Inheritance, which encourages women to know their local laws and take steps to protect their property rights. The script is offered as a sample, with the suggestion that broadcasters may wish to invite local lawyers, paralegals, or community workers knowledgeable about inheritance laws to come to the radio station to discuss women and property rights.

This script can be found online at:
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/73-4script_en.asp

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