By Celani Sikhakhane
- Dr Nhlapho and Dr Lungile Zondi presented a paper at a conference in Wuhan, China, saying gendered poverty is the scourge and catalyst for women’s socio economic hindrance.
- They say lack of proper education and insufficient empowerment programmes hinders women’s full participation in agriculture and economic participation which results in poverty and hunger globally.
A former ANC councillor in Durban says giving women more opportunities to farm can change the world and end hunger.
Dr Sibongile Nhlapho and Dr Lungile Zondi presented their paper at the 11th Social Sciences and Humanities 2025 Conference in Wuhan, China.
The paper says if women are given more opportunities for farming and livestock farming, the world can change for the better and no family will go to bed on an empty stomach.
Nhlapho and Zondi say gendered poverty is the scourge and catalyst for women’s socio economic hindrance.
They say lack of proper education and insufficient empowerment programmes hinders women’s full participation in agriculture and economic participation.
The paper says lack of access to education remains a major barrier for women. Women cannot access information and skills needed for food security. This results in poverty and hunger.
Nhlapho and Zondi called for policies that promote women’s socio economic empowerment, economic growth and agricultural skills education. This can assist in poverty eradication and hunger globally.
The paper acknowledged that much has been done in policy development. But a gap still exists in achieving women’s socio economic empowerment. The face of poverty is still female.
Women in rural areas face social isolation and have limited access to education and training. They also struggle to get information about farming programmes and land opportunities.
This keeps women in an inferior position in society and makes their poverty worse than men’s poverty.
In closing, the paper says women can play a major role in economic development and growth. Therefore, policy transformation is essential.
Nhlapho and Zondi say if governments invest in women farmers and give them land, tools and training, entire communities will benefit.
The researchers say women are already feeding their families with small gardens and limited resources. Imagine what they could do with proper support and access to land.
Pictured above: Dr Sibongile Nhlapho who is a former eThekwini ANC councillor addressing the 11th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in the City of Wuhan in China.
Image source: Supplied
This story was updated on 9 December 2025 to more accurately reflect the content of Dr Sibongile Nhlapho and Dr Lungile Zondi’s research paper presented at the 11th Social Sciences and Humanities 2025 Conference in Wuhan, China.
