Tanzania: When Rural Women Gain Power, Families and Communities Grow Stronger

Dodoma — Talk of agriculture in many rural communities, a seed is more than something planted in the soil. It can represent food, income, family health and the future of farming. For women, however, access to resources and opportunities has often been shaped by social and economic barriers that limit their participation in decisions affecting their families and communities.

This reality lies at the heart of Sustainable Development Goal 5, one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The goals seek to build a world founded on equality, prosperity and sustainable development by 2030, with priorities covering People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central to that vision.

In Tanzania, the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), an NGO established in 1993, works to advance gender equality, women's rights and inclusive development through research, policy advocacy, capacity building and community awareness. Its work is guided by the vision of "A Tanzania of Equality, Justice, and Sustainable Development for All."

One initiative contributing to that vision is the Rural Women Cultivating Change (RWCC) project, implemented through a partnership between TGNP and PELUM Tanzania, with funding from Global Affairs Canada through SeedChange. Running from 2021 to 2027, the six-year project is being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

In Tanzania, the project covers Morogoro, Manyara and Kilimanjaro regions, reaching 24 villages across Morogoro, Gairo, Babati, Mbulu Town Council, Mwanga and Same districts. Other organizations involved in gender-focused initiatives include the Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity, Island of Peace, Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement, Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania and Tanzania Federation of Farmers.

For Catherine Kasimbazi, RWCC Project Coordinator in Tanzania, the project is fundamentally about removing barriers that prevent rural women from taking part fully in social and economic development.

"Our goal is to remove the social, economic, and systemic barriers that prevent rural women from participating fully in leadership, decision-making, and from benefiting from agriculture and other development opportunities," she says.

The project works through three interconnected areas: strengthening women's leadership and participation in decision-making; preventing and responding to gender-based violence while promoting rights and equality; and advancing agroecology to conserve biodiversity, strengthen community seed systems, improve soil health, build resilience to climate change, enhance food security and increase incomes.

That combination is important because economic empowerment cannot be separated from decision-making power. A woman who can improve her farm but cannot influence decisions over household resources may still face limitations. Similarly, leadership opportunities mean little when families lack reliable food and incomes.

Through RWCC, thousands of rural farmers have received training in agroecology, gender equality, leadership and conservation of indigenous seeds. Knowledge and Information Centres have also been established in project areas through collaboration between TGNP and PELUM Tanzania, giving farmers spaces to learn, exchange experiences and access information.

Women are the primary beneficiaries, although men and youth also participate. According to Kasimbazi, one visible change is the growing participation of women in community leadership. More women are seeking and securing leadership positions in local government and other community structures, while farmers practising agroecology are increasing production, conserving indigenous seeds and gaining greater influence over household decisions.

For farmers such as Clara Malle, Lead Farmer and Knowledge and Information Centres Coordinator in Muray, Mbulu District, and Mamire, Babati District, those changes are becoming part of everyday life.

Malle farms maize, nutritious beans, sorghum and other crops on five acres using agroecological methods. Through the project, she established a community seed bank, began producing herbal tea and learned ways of adding value to crops.

"The project enabled me to establish a community seed bank, produce herbal tea, and add value to our crops. Today we have greater seed security and production," she says.

She wants communities to continue conserving indigenous seeds while calling for greater investment in extension services and technologies that support agroecological farming.

Her experience is echoed by Yahani Nawe, a farmer from Sambo Village in Mbulu District. Training, she says, has enabled her to increase production of indigenous seeds while improving her income.

"I produce various types of indigenous seeds that help my own production and also benefit other farmers," she says.

The training also helped farmers understand gender equality, ownership of resources and the importance of cooperation within families and communities.

In Same District, Lead Farmer Stella John sees agroecology as both an economic opportunity and a means of strengthening food security. She says the approach does not require expensive inputs because farmers can make use of resources available within their surroundings.

For Stella, conserving indigenous seeds is equally important because they carry nutritional, agricultural and cultural value. Through farming, she has managed to educate all five of her children to higher education while continuing to operate a community seed bank serving other farmers.

"A woman cannot be separated from seeds or food security. When we conserve indigenous seeds, we protect our heritage, our family's health, and the future of our agriculture," she says.

For Orupa Sekajingo of Mpirani Village, Maore Ward, Same District, the training has similarly translated into practical results. She adopted agroecological practices including the use of manure, mulching and herbal tea, which helped increase her maize and bean production.

The resulting improvement in production enabled her to buy her own farm and increase family income. But the transformation did not stop at agriculture.

"Beyond increasing production, this training has given me the confidence to participate in community decision-making and to run for leadership positions. Today I am listened to and participate fully in the development of my village," she says.

Her experience captures the wider purpose of SDG 5: equality is not simply about representation. It is about creating conditions in which women can own resources, make decisions, earn incomes, lead communities and shape development.

Across these rural communities, seeds are therefore becoming symbols of something larger. They represent knowledge, independence, resilience and opportunity. As women gain skills in agroecology and greater confidence in leadership, the benefits extend beyond individual farms to families, communities and local economies.

The challenge now is to sustain these gains. Continued investment in extension services, appropriate technologies, knowledge sharing, indigenous seed conservation and women's participation will be important to ensure that progress becomes lasting.

The experience of RWCC shows that sustainable development can take root when equality and economic opportunity grow together. For rural women, cultivating change is not only about what they plant in the soil. It is also about the leadership, confidence and possibilities they cultivate for themselves, their families and generations to come.

Read the original article on Daily News.