Significant changes have occurred in the rural labour force as a result of growing population, urban migration, illness and death caused by HIV/AIDS. Women are assuming much more important roles in food production and natural resource management. Women are heads of rural households, in at least a quarter and sometimes more than half of cases. Many of these women are single parents, widows, divorcees, wives of migrant workers, the aged and the infirm - the least socially powerful members of the community. Both, female labour force in agriculture and the increasing number of women as head of household (due to HIV/AIDS, war, migration) in rural areas show how important it is to guarantee women’s equal access to land and other productive resources.
Table of percentage of agricultural holdings headed by women
The scarce data available reveals that approximately a fifth of holdings are headed by women
Source: FAOSTAT
