New digital agri-support platform for KZN women

A new project to address unemployment among women and the youth in rural areas was launched recently by the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu). Its aim is to provide people with knowledge, skills and tangible opportunities to support themselves and their communities.

The project, which is called Women in Rural Entrepreneurship, will coincide with the launch (at the end of July) of Kwanalu’s Youth in Rural Entrepreneurship programme.

Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, programme leader Dr Kathy Hurly said it was the first of its kind: an online platform where women and young people in agriculture and beyond could interact directly with providers of technology, insurance, extension services, training and education, as well as new markets.

The main objective of the programme was therefore to provide broader opportunities through the promotion of entrepreneurship.

In a statement released by Kwanalu, Sandy La Marque, CEO of Kwanalu, said: “The voices of women and the youth are not heard clearly enough, and this platform will link rural women and the youth to opportunities in agriculture that will disrupt and transform the sector.

“We at Kwanalu are extremely excited to be launching this platform and to build upon the success of our Women in Agriculture campaign.”

Hurly said that, in addition, they had started raising funds to provide business and leadership training, which would form the foundation of business knowledge.

She added the platform was building on the success of the 2020 Kwanalu Women in Agriculture webinar, and approximately 350 women and young people in agriculture had been identified for the project.

“The tragedy of COVID-19 has projected digital tools into every home and workplace, with every sector rapidly transforming into the digital age. This provides agriculture with an excellent prospect to leverage the digital wave, and we at Kwanalu have identified this opportunity.” – Pieter Dempsey