Musa Shey Nfor, President, Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League, CAMCCUL, talks on the role of rural women in agricultural production and the challenges they face in accessing financing.

How significant is the role of rural women in agriculture?

Rural women are the most significant and dominant actors in agricultural activities, especially given that they outnumber men. More so, their position as mothers and organisers of the family in the rural areas makes their role really significant. Women are becoming more and more involved in agricultural training, farmer business schools and therefore increasing their role in rural agriculture. Statistics show that over 57 per cent of rural agriculture in Cameroon is driven by rural women. 

How much access do rural women have to financing for their agricultural activities?

Access to financing agriculture for rural women can be viewed from two broad perspectives. These include limited access to classical financial houses and a more enhanced access to credit unions, which are proximity financial cooperatives with an established tradition of financing agriculture in the rural areas. With the numerous capacity building seminars, educational general meetings in credit unions, increased awareness of the existence of government and private sources of financing agriculture, women now have more access to financing than was the case five years ago. 

What challenges do they face in securing loans?

These challenges can be better examined from two angles – applying for loans and reimbursing them. In the first case, we can cite lack of credible collaterals, ignorance about loan contracting, lack of knowledge on agriculture as a business, etc. On the other hand, rural women lack good avenues to sell their produce due to bad roads, bad faith, crop failures, etc. We may also add the fear factor in rural women. Some unfavourable cultural and political as well as religious practices, which militate seriously against women, add to these challenges.

The joint efforts of government and the financial houses are needed to mitigate loan access shortcomings. There is therefore need to reconsider tax policy when it comes to financing rural agriculture. Also, micro-financial institutions, especially financial cooperatives, need to develop favourable, flexible and recoverable mechanisms for loans in agriculture.