Wathinta abafazi wathinta imbokodo: land ownership policy reforms and sustainable food systems for rural youth

Abstract

Gender-inclusive land ownership policy reforms could have a substantial impact on food security, nutrition, and sustainable livelihoods for young people in rural KwaZulu-Natal, writes Sabelo Mpisi, who spoke with young female small-scale farmers while conducting ethnographic fieldwork in the province. nder customary land tenure systems in rural Southern Africa, many female farmers only have access to farmland through male heads of households, such as their fathers, husbands, sons or brothers. Having insecure land tenure makes it risky for these female farmers to invest in infrastructure and methods to improve their productivity.