ENTREPRENEUR STORY: Empowering female farmers in Zambia

We met Juddy at her home in the Meheba Refugee Camp in the northwest province of Zambia (her parents, Angolan and Zambian, settled here before she was born).

Juddy has been working with John Muta, a Farm Business Advisor (FBA), for the past few years, and through talking with her we came to understand how the FBA program is affecting women’s empowerment in the household. Using the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which measures empowerment across domains ranging from decision-making power to control over income, we asked Juddy about her roles.

“I am in charge of everything related to vegetables,” she said.

With money she made selling vegetables, Juddy bought a sprayer and better seeds. And she applied for a loan from VisionFund, which allowed her to expand her business.
Even though she has final say over her garden, she still likes to make decisions with her husband. She sees their agricultural production as a family business. Her empowerment shines through in her ownership of the vegetable garden.

Juddy enjoys attending agricultural trainings. Having to quit school due to an illness in fourth grade, she considers them as an extension of her education. Now that she is investing in her small business, Juddy has opportunities to make decisions, earn her own money, and lead her household to a more prosperous future.

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JUDDY MUKUMBI

Since connecting with iDE and her FBA John Muta, she has taken on the responsibility of developing a vegetable garden, and her husband has taken on sole responsibility for the field crops. She is in charge of what to grow, how to grow it, and where to sell it. With the help of her FBA, Juddy learned to grow tomatoes, cabbage, and rape—and John connected her with markets where she can sell her produce.