Todos os dias enxada nas mãos: género e terra no regadio de massaca

Abstract

In Mozambique, as in all of Africa, women constitute more than 50% of the population, and in rural areas this number tends to be higher. They represent the majority of the agricultural workforce. In terms of the division of labor in the agricultural sector, while men occupy about 1/4 of their daily working time with subsistence agricultural activities, women spend about 3/4, not counting the domestic responsibilities that are under their responsibility. (UN Economic commission for Africa, cited by CASIMIRO, 1994). In rural areas, it is the female population that is responsible for the agricultural production of a significant proportion of food consumed in the family and, consequently, for the food security of most households. In Mozambique and especially in the south, rainfall is very irregular, negatively influencing agricultural production. Thus, this region becomes unfavorable for rainfed agriculture. This makes the peasants tend to focus on irrigated areas, taking the reactio in a scarce resource. In rural areas, women are the main food producers and, for that, they need to have the land available to be able to work (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)