Windhoek
Land security is important – especially for rural women – as it opens up investment opportunities and productivity, says Martin Shapi, a senior researcher at the University of Namibia (Unam).
Shapi explained that the lack of security suppresses economic growth, as investors will not invest because they do not know what will happen tomorrow. “But if the women feel their land right is secure, they are willing to go to any financial institution to develop their agriculture productivity,” he remarked.
He spoke during the project launch for a World Without Hunger 2 about strengthening the land ownership and land use rights of women in sub-Saharan Africa.
The project goal, amongst others, is to ensure that women involved in the project are informed about their rights, the contexts of traditional and codified law and the possible means of legal redress in order to enable them to assert their rights.
The target groups are widows and single mothers, traditional authorities, female, as well as male political decision-makers at local and national level. The project focuses on Omusati, Oshana,Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions.
He said according to the latest study conducted by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) 50 percent of women from the said regions participate in agricultural production and this should be the focal point to reduce hunger.
He further indicated that in China between 1969- 1971, that country recorded 387 million people who were undernourished, but after land reforms and improved land tenure since early the 2000 that figure dropped to 150 million.
“The link between secure land rights for households and food security and nutrition is even more pronounced when women in the house have secure land rights, because their status improves and it influences household decision-making.
“In many cases women make better decisions which improve the house welfare,” Shapi said, adding that women also influence decisions about the types of crops that are planted, based on the needs of the household and market.
Stefanie Braun of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation added that the overall goal of the project is to strengthen fair and secure access to resources and land, as well as land use rights for women in Namibia.
She said with the help of Unam a baseline study will be conducted at the beginning of the project, which will determine the status quo with regard to land laws and their efficacy in enhancing the rights and position of women in society, as well as the adaption of law by political decision-makers and to assess the current state of knowledge among women and the use of that knowledge.
Braun said the project is aimed primarily at women who are disadvantaged by virtue of their social position, whether they are widows or single women. The awareness-raising measures also aim to incorporate male members of the local communities in order to promote dialogue.
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is working on the project in collaboration with the Women’s Action for Development and the Legal Assistance Centre.