Women and Land in Zambia

The paper shows that most women in Zambia and especially in the study area suffer from insecurity in land since they do not have secure title to land under customary tenure. The results from the research which was carried out using semi structured interviews with 34 female farmers show that the majority of women farmers (62%) were not allocated land directly by headmen but got land through a male contact. However, some women were successful small-scale farmers and, together with the majority, expressed the need for more information on how to secure individual title to the land which they cultivate. Such empowerment of women would require cooperation from traditional leaders who have the power to allocate land to women, especially to single women, divorcees and widows, who tend to be marginalised.