By Lusanda Dyan

Rural and coastal women gathered in Gansbaai for a Women’s Month Provincial Focus Group and Speak-Out, creating a space for them to share their experiences and discuss the challenges facing their livelihoods, families and communities.

The Fisher Community hosted the gathering in partnership with the Rural Women’s Assembly South Africa (RWA-SA) as part of the One Woman One Hectare (1W1H) Campaign, under the theme “Nourishing Communities, Sustaining Futures.”

The event brought together women from fishing communities, farms, back gardens and inland communities. It was not only a celebration of Women’s Month but also a space for political reflection, organising and collective action.

Women discussed challenges, including landlessness, food insecurity, water shortages, poverty, climate change, insecure livelihoods, and the difficulties faced by women farmers and fisherwomen.

For many rural and coastal women, access to land is closely linked to their ability to produce food, earn an income and to support their families.

The discussions also highlighted the impact of extreme weather, including floods, strong winds, cold spells and water shortages, on women’s livelihoods and on their communities.

Land, food and dignity

At the heart of the gathering was the One Woman One Hectare Campaign, which places access to land at the centre of women’s economic, food-sovereignty and climate-justice struggles.

The campaign recognises women as farmers, food producers, workers, organisers, knowledge holders and key actors within their communities. It calls for women to have access to land and the resources needed to produce food and sustain their communities.

Climate justice was another important part of the discussions. Women reflected on how climate change and extreme weather can affect farming, fishing, food production and household livelihoods.

Water insecurity was also raised as a key concern. Without reliable access to water, women who rely on agriculture and food gardens face additional difficulties in producing food and sustaining their livelihoods.

The discussions showed that climate change cannot be separated from questions of land, water, food and economic justice.

One of the strongest messages from the gathering was the need to move from discussion to collective action.

The testimonies, concerns and demands raised at the Gansbaai gathering are intended to contribute to the broader Rural Women’s Assembly South Africa provincial consolidation process and to the national One Woman One-Hectare Women’s Demands Platform.