Agriculture has long been the backbone of many developing countries’ economies. In Tanzania, agriculture contributes about 29.1 per cent of the GDP and 65.5 per cent of employment, with a significant proportion of the workforce being women.
Additionally, agriculture comprises a greater part of women‘s economic activity than men‘s: 81 per cent of women, compared to 73 per cent of men, are engaged in agricultural activity. In rural areas, that number rises to 98 per cent for women.
Moreover, agriculture provides a livelihood for 70 per cent of the 61 million people population, with women making up a significant portion of the labour force, playing an essential role in agricultural production. However, women in the agricultural sector have traditionally faced numerous challenges, including low productivity due to minimal capital investment.
Most cultivate between one and three hectares, with limited access to modern machinery, inputs, and improved technologies. Women often have lower access to land, training, markets, and quality seeds.
Furthermore, many women work in low-skilled positions on large farms, performing hazardous and physically demanding tasks such as agro-chemical spraying, weeding, and irrigation.
Primary challenges
One of the primary challenges women face in agriculture is low productivity, stemming from limited access to capital and resources. In many developing countries, women farmers have restricted access to credit, agricultural inputs, and technology.
READ MORE: New Technology Promises to Eliminate Malaria for Good. But Serious Challenges Limit Such Potential
This lack of investment leads to lower yields and reduced incomes, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Additionally, women often do not own the land they work on, further limiting their ability to invest in and improve their agricultural practices.
Women in agriculture are often relegated to low-skilled, labour-intensive jobs. They are extensively involved in hazardous activities, such as spraying agrochemicals, which exposes them to harmful substances that can have long-term health impacts.
Moreover, tasks like weeding and irrigation are physically demanding and time-consuming, leaving women with little time for other activities, including education and childcare. This heavy workload affects their health and limits their opportunities for personal and economic advancement.
Innovative solutions
Modern biotechnology offers innovative solutions to these challenges, providing tools to increase productivity, improve safety, and reduce the drudgery associated with traditional agricultural practices.
Biotechnology has led to the development of genetically modified (GM) crops resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses such as drought.
READ MORE: From Diagnosis to Daily Triumphs: Navigating Rare Diseases in Tanzania
These crops can significantly increase yields and reduce the need for chemical inputs, thus lowering production costs and improving the safety of agricultural work. For women farmers, this means higher productivity and income and reduced exposure to harmful chemicals.
For example, Bt cotton and Bt maize are genetically modified to produce a toxin derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is harmful to specific insect pests but safe for humans and other non-target organisms.
These crops have drastically reduced the need for chemical pesticides, making farming safer and more sustainable. In India, adopting Bt cotton has led to significant increases in yield and income for farmers, including many women, while reducing pesticide use by more than 40 per cent.
Biofortification, a process of increasing the nutritional value of crops through biotechnology, is another innovative solution. This can improve health outcomes for women and their families, who often rely on the food they produce for daily sustenance. Healthier women are better able to work efficiently and participate in community and economic activities.
A notable example is the development of Golden Rice, a biofortified crop engineered to produce beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. This crop addresses the nutritional vitamin A deficiency common in many developing regions, thereby may be able to improve women farmers’ and their families’ health and productivity.
READ MORE: Can the AfCFTA Propel Family Farms in Africa to Prosperity?
Biotechnology also encompasses the development of labour-saving agricultural technologies. These innovations can help automate and simplify planting, weeding, and harvesting tasks.
By reducing the time and effort required for these activities, women can redirect their energy to other productive endeavours, including education and entrepreneurial activities.
Herbicide-tolerant (Ht) crops, such as Ht maize and canola, have been engineered to withstand specific herbicides, allowing farmers to control weeds without damaging the crops.
This significantly reduces women’s labour and time spent weeding, one of agriculture’s most arduous and time-consuming tasks. In South Africa, adopting Ht maize has substantially decreased the time and labour required for weed control, benefiting many women farmers.
Water-efficient crops, such as those developed under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project, are another example of biotechnology’s potential. These crops are bred to use water more efficiently, ensuring stable yields even during drought.
READ MORE: Advancing Tanzania’s Green Transition: Why Industrial Policy Matters
This is particularly important for women farmers in arid and semi-arid regions, where water scarcity is a major challenge. By reducing the dependency on water and increasing resilience to climate change, these crops can help secure food production and improve women’s livelihoods in agriculture.
Access to education and training in biotechnology can empower women with the knowledge and skills needed to adopt and utilise these innovations effectively.
Programmes that provide women with training in biotech applications can help bridge the gender gap in agricultural knowledge and practice, ensuring that women are not left behind in the technological revolution.
Immense potential
Integrating modern biotechnology in the agricultural sector holds immense potential for transforming women’s lives in developing countries.
By addressing key challenges such as low productivity, hazardous working conditions, and the physical demands of traditional farming, biotechnology can pave the way for a more equitable and prosperous future for women farmers.
READ MORE: Empowering Tanzania: Vision 2050 and The Blueprint For a Fair and Inclusive Prosperity
As these innovations continue to evolve, ensuring women have access to the necessary resources, education, and support to benefit fully from the biotechnological revolution is crucial.
Empowering women in agriculture through biotechnology enhances their livelihoods and contributes to the broader goal of sustainable development and food security in developing countries.
Aneth David is an academic and research scientist in biotechnology at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). She can be reached at anethdavid367@gmail.com. Ally Mahadhy is a biotechnology engineer, lecturer and researcher at the University of Dar es Salaam. He can be reached at allymahadhy@gmail.com. The opinions expressed here are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
One Response
The reading is interesting!! The URT government should fund the biotechnology researches and innovations to be involved in Agricultural production. The funding goes hand to hand with policies that encourage the use of biotechnology in agriculture. I’m not sure, but I guess, the emphasis is still low. Hopefully the TARI, TFNC, Universities and other related institutions will make it up to reach the goals of biotech involvement in crop cultivation.
Thank you!