NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 505
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER 2011 [IQP No 33 -2011] SECOND
SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Response to question 505 for written reply: National Council of Provinces,
Mr. J j Gunda (ID-NC) asking the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries:
(a) What strategies has her department put in place to promote rural women
as drivers of rural development and agricultural restoration and (b) what
are the relevant details in this regard? CW607E
Reply:
a. DAFF has in 2006 developed a Policy Framework for women empowerment.
The aim of this Policy Framework for Women Development in agriculture is
to help agricultural policy makers and planners in the National
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), and the broader
agricultural sector to understand why and how gender considerations
should be incorporated into national policy. It explains the theoretical
and conceptual issues and gives practical guidance on how to integrate
gender into policy in agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector work.
The overall goal of the policy framework was three fold:
⢠To set out a path of overarching principles to be integrated with
South African agriculture policies, practices and development
process, to enhance participation of men and women in agriculture
for sustainable and equitable development and poverty eradication,
⢠To show that men and womenâs productive capacity and their
capacity to participate in the economy is shaped by their gender
roles and, therefore, gender relations impact on agricultural
outcomes and affect economic efficiency. There is evidence that
gender equity is linked to increased efficiency and increased
prospects for rural growth and the development of the rural
economy. It follows that gender ought not to be considered as a
purely social issue or an add-on category to decision-making, but
rather, as an integral part of policy-making and implementation,
thus deserving explicit analytical attention, and
⢠To legitimize the participation of women in government, national
initiatives such as IPAP2, the New Growth Path, Draft Integrated
Growth and Development Programme are major micro-economic
framework which will definitely re-shape South Africaâs socio-
political landscape. Active participation of women will address
sectoral imbalances and prove that economic growth depends on the
whole rather than some of the parts.
There is growing empirical evidence linking gender inequalities in
resource control and lost productivity and income in agriculture. There
are also well known linkages between gender and sustainable development.
Yet, to date, agricultural policies and programming have not necessarily
been gender sensitive.
The scope of the recommended framework will apply specifically to the
agricultural sector, both at national and provincial levels, public and
private, as well as in broader terms to civil society organizations and
institutions.
b. Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has taken an
initiative to acknowledge, encourage and increase participation of women,
youth and people with disabilities in the sector through DAFF Female
Entrepreneur Programme. In line with government programme of action, this
programme seeks to contribute in the following priorities; mainstreaming
of women, youth and people with disabilities in the sector through food
security, job creation, economic growth and poverty alleviation.
DAFF Female Entrepreneur Programme is a joint venture between DAFF,
provinces and key partners. It starts from provinces identifying
potential winners for different categories through a rigorous
adjudication process. This programme has been reconfigured from Female
Farmer of the year competition, which was incepted by the former
Department of Agriculture in 1999 to encourage and increase the
participation of women in agricultural activities.
To align with the mandate of DAFF it is worth noting that this programme
has been modified to respond to the priorities of the sector.
The programme itself rewards the efforts and contribution of women, youth
and people with disabilities in matters of food security, job creation,
economic growth and poverty alleviation which seek to leverage these
entrepreneurs from being subsistence, smallholder and commercial. Over
the years, it became an empowerment platform that recognized the
entrepreneurial skills of women, youth and people with disabilities in
the sector. In some cases, the target group became a valuable pool for
placement and to transform various boards of state-owned entities (SOEs)
reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The year 2011/12 marks the second anniversary of this programme (DAFF
Female Entrepreneur Awards). This annual event commences at provincial
level and culminates to national Awards, where all provinces will compete
for the awards in different categories. The awards ceremony will take
place during Womenâs Month in commemoration of strides and milestones
towards the sector transformation and gender mainstreaming. DAFF Female
Entrepreneur Awards will reward 80 % female owned enterprises within the
sector inclusive of partnerships and trust. The theme of the awards
ceremony will be drawn from the State of Nationâs Address (SONA). The
programme of action to ensure the sustainability of this DAFF Female
Entrepreneur Programme will be developed to monitor, evaluate the impact
of the programme toward further development of this target group.
c. Forest Sector Charter Targets: In terms of ownership the sector commits
to attaining greater gender parity in ownership of forest enterprises and
targets 10% ownership by black women in existing enterprises. For medium
and large enterprises, a bonus point incentive has been included to
further increase this target to 15%. Special attention will also be given
by industry and government to enterprise development support for women in
the Forest Sector.
In terms of management control the sector industry aligns itself with the
national Codes of Good Practice by committing to substantially increasing
the number of black people, including black women, exercising management
control over the forest industry.
In terms of skills development the sector is committing to spend 3% of
its payroll on learning programmes for black employees. This is over and
above the 1%spent on the skills levy. At least half of this will be spent
on skills development for black women and a portion will also be set
aside to skill disabled employees. The sector commits to ensuring that 5%
of employees are black participants in in-service training programmes.
In terms of preferential procurement the sector will widen market access
for black enterprises and improve the working conditions and
sustainability of suppliers. Interventions will be undertaken to improve
contracting conditions for suppliers as it relates to the:
- Forestry contractors industry;
- Charcoal industry; and
- Small growers contracting schemes.
In terms of enterprise development, the development of sustainable black-
owned and black women owned enterprises is critical in promoting equity
with growth in the sector. The scorecard also provides three bonus points
for additional enterprise development spend to support sector specific
initiatives in enterprise development. Special attention will be given to
targeting women and rural communities in enterprise development support.
d. AgriBEE Targets: In terms of ownership, the sector targets 10% voting
rights and 25% economic interest in the Enterprise to black women.
In terms of management control, the sector targets 25% Executive Board
Members, 20% Senior Top Management and 20% of Other Top Management
position to black women.
In terms of employment equity, the sector targets 2% of black people with
disabilities, 30% black women at senior management level and 40% black
women at Mid-management level.
In terms of skills development, the sector targets 0.93% of black women,
0.2% black employees with disabilities, 2.5% black women and 1% of black
designated groups participating in training programmes that lead to
recognized qualifications.
In terms of preferential procurement, the sector targets 20%.
In terms of enterprise development, the sector targets 10%.
e. The other initiative that targets women which was initiated by DAFF is
the AgriBiz Training for women entrepreneurs. This is a collaborative
initiative of National Agricultural Marketing Council, Market Matters Inc
and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries designed to
offer course specifically for women in Agribusiness. The workshop is
designed for women engaged in on and off farm production and services
throughout the Agribusiness value chain. The workshop offers training in
key business development areas, such as marketing issues, financial
management issues, strategic management and financing your business. The
collaborative initiative workshop was sponsored by the Land Bank.
The workshop was held in Somerset West, Cape Town at Lord Charles Hotel
from 23 to 25 May 2011. The workshop was attended by 32 participants. On
the 23rd July (Monday), the programme was facilitated by Market Matters
facilitators. The Market Matter handouts were distributed to the
participants. The handouts will assist participants for future reference.
Market Matters introduced the Ezulwini Chocolat â Nontwenhle Mchunu whom
she motivated the participants on how the business develops and grows
overtime. The facilitators continued to workshop the participants on
Marketing strategies and business plan development. Monday workshop was
closed with the evaluation forms, to measure the responses of the
participants.
On the 24th and 25th July, the programme was facilitated by Buhle
Farmerâs Academy. The Buhle Farmersâ Academy focused on the Basic
financial management of the small enterprise. The course covers financial
planning tools, budget, enterprise budget, cashflow projections and
risks. The workshop was evaluated for participants understanding. Later
on the 25th July the workshop was closed by certificate awards banquet
dinner. Delegates from the NAMC, DAFF, SAWEN, land Bank, Buhle and Market
Matters congratulated the participants on completion of the workshop
courses.
f. Conclusion
The department has a policy framework, charters, and programmes aimed at
addressing women empowerment.