Gender and Agricultural Development in Zambia, 1890-1990
type: CreativeWork
description: This study investigates the extent to which both sexes participated in Zambia’s agricultural development from 1890-1990. Utilising primary and secondary sources of information and analysing data qualitatively, the study examines gender roles in agriculture in the colonial and post-colonial periods. It is argued that prior to the advent of colonialism, gender roles in agriculture among the country’s ethnic groups were well defined and that the prosperity of the African husbandman depended on this sexual division of labour in farming. The study also examines the impact of colonialism on these gender roles in farming. It is argued that within a few years of the British South Africa’s Company occupation of the territory in 1890, certain policies were formulated by the company. The study demonstrates that because of these policies, a radical change in the sexual division of labour was stimulated. It is argued that even under the rule of the Colonial Office, policies that negatively impacted on gender roles in farming were formulated. Females were not perceived as farmers and ultimately female headed households were not included in the African agricultural schemes established in the territory in the post-Second World War period. The study also examines the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to address gender imbalances in the agricultural sector. It is demonstrated that legacies from the colonial period were perpetuated in the post-colonial period and male farmers continued receiving more favours from the state than females. It is argued, in the study that agricultural education, extension, research and donor funded projects, for the most part favoured males as opposed to females. Although some successes were recorded in the way of bridging gender imbalances in the agricultural sector, they were minimal. The study attempts to identify the bottlenecks that stood in the way of reducing gender imbalances in the agricultural sector. It is argued that amo…
abstract: This study investigates the extent to which both sexes participated in Zambia’s agricultural development from 1890-1990. Utilising primary and secondary sources of information and analysing data qualitatively, the study examines gender roles in agriculture in the colonial and post-colonial periods. It is argued that prior to the advent of colonialism, gender roles in agriculture among the country’s ethnic groups were well defined and that the prosperity of the African husbandman depended on this sexual division of labour in farming. The study also examines the impact of colonialism on these gender roles in farming. It is argued that within a few years of the British South Africa’s Company occupation of the territory in 1890, certain policies were formulated by the company. The study demonstrates that because of these policies, a radical change in the sexual division of labour was stimulated. It is argued that even under the rule of the Colonial Office, policies that negatively impacted on gender roles in farming were formulated. Females were not perceived as farmers and ultimately female headed households were not included in the African agricultural schemes established in the territory in the post-Second World War period. The study also examines the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to address gender imbalances in the agricultural sector. It is demonstrated that legacies from the colonial period were perpetuated in the post-colonial period and male farmers continued receiving more favours from the state than females. It is argued, in the study that agricultural education, extension, research and donor funded projects, for the most part favoured males as opposed to females. Although some successes were recorded in the way of bridging gender imbalances in the agricultural sector, they were minimal. The study attempts to identify the bottlenecks that stood in the way of reducing gender imbalances in the agricultural sector. It is argued that amo…
author: Mwansa, Dorothy
language: en
keywords: Gender--Zambia, Women in agriculture.--Zambia, Women agricultural laborers., Agricultural development projects
date published: 2017
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:06:58Z
provider: University of Zimbabwe
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Zambia