Long hampered by lack of access to market, Women Farmers Clubs in Cuanza Sul have been forging ahead with their agricultural and horticultural production, cultivating both for home consumption as well as for sale. 

Club members received a boost recently in the form of a new three-wheeled motorbike & trailer that is helping them get produce to market. Transport is always a problem, because of the distance from field to market, the poor state of rural roads and the lack of suitable – and affordable - vehicles. Having a three-wheeler motorbike/trailer, aptly named “Take Action” – has already helped Cahatela Club take horticultural produce to the municipal market in Quibala, where they earned 11,000kz from sales. Kilala Fazenda Club also benefited this month when they transported onions and cabbage to the municipal market. Such was the eagerness of the many customers who did not want to miss out on fresh organic products that the project was concerned about social distancing. Indeed, measures and strategies are currently being developed to avoid future incidents of overcrowding at the market.

There was more good news at Women Farmers Club Cuanza Sul when Quibala Municipal Director of Social Affairs, the Family and the Promotion of Women, Henriqueta Ebo Antônio Amélia, paid a visit to see for herself the flourishing horticultural production at the hands of the Women Farmers Club members.

Female entrepreneurship is recognised as playing an important role in the economy. After a successful first edition of the Fair of Produce of Women Entrepreneurs (FEPROMEFA) held in May 2021 in Porto Amboim, the second edition of this quarterly event was held in Seles municipality, in August. Women Farmers Club Cuanza Sul again participated, displaying avocados, two varieties of bananas, onions, sweet potatoes, peppers, black beans and maize. This was just a selection of the produce from Women Farmers Club Cuanza Sul farmers’ fields, as the road to Seles is not very good and full of curves, which makes transporting large quantities a bit difficult. Visitors to the stand were enthusiastic and exchanged telephone numbers with the club representatives so they could organise orders and deliveries. 

Women Farmers Clubs Cuanza Sul have been supported by Exxon since 2012.  A new initiative in collaboration with USAID and involving ADPP farming projects in six provinces, is focusing on further empowerment of women farmers by tackling land rights and ensuring all participants have the tools for active citizenship, whether documentation, literacy or health, in addition to a sound economy.