Maanda Elizabeth Sianga, farmer & founder Agro Queens, Chikupi region (Zambia)
She was one of the candidates for the Women in Ag Awards, which will culminate with the award ceremony at EuroTier on November 13th, and she impressed us with her work to impart good farming practices in her native Zambia and provide a support group for women in agribusiness through her Agro Queens network. Women in Ag was very keen to talk to Global Farmers’ Network member Maanda Elizabeth Sianga.
Maanda Elizabeth Sianga is the daughter and granddaughter of farmers and grew up on the family farm in the Chikupi region, a rural area in the Lusaka province, near the eponymous capital of the country. Today, the twenty-seven year old agronomist runs a mixed farm of corn, vegetables, free range poultry, goats and even fish while running a network for women in agribusiness and being an ag influencer.
Maanda, tell us a little about your location and background.
It all started on the family farm for me. Today, I run this farm near the town of Kafue, where we can feel the impact of climate change directly on our farms. We have a dry and a wet season, the dry season just ending now, followed by the wet season from November to February. Unfortunately, climate change made the conditions much harsher: we are experiencing a drought right now that is impacting everything, from irrigation to energy. The electricity in Zambia relies mainly on hydro, so there is a real energy crisis right now with homes getting only one to two hours of electricity a day. It’s a huge problem for many farms, which are reliant on electricity to try to pump water for irrigation during these droughts. The wet seasons also bring increasingly harsher floods, meaning farmers have to learn to adapt to extreme conditions. The wet seasons and floods are the reason for me, like many other farmers, to implement fish on the farm as our income is season-based and we can’t get much done on the land when it is flooded.
You also run an agribusiness. Tell us more!
I’m very passionate about training people how to farm, so leaning on my own experience I offer trainings for farmers, I use my social media accounts to educate people on how to farm and I try to get the correct information out there. When I had just completed my first degree, I did not realise that there was not much information on how to farm and good farming practices, so I decided to fill in that gap. That’s how I started sharing on farming as a business. Currently, I’m working with the agritech company Braxton, doing some remote work creating content for them. They basically connect farmers in rural areas who don’t have access to internet or smartphones. Those farmers can access information and farming tips on their phones or via chat groups. The project is launching in November.
The extreme weather conditions worsen with climate change and we are really witnessing a shift here in Zambia. For example, we never had pests before now but now pests are attacking our maize and vegetables of farmers who don’t know how to control pests. These people need technical support and guidance for good agronomic practices like crop rotation, conservation farming, preserving water, taking care of soils,… And that’s where I come in. I try to get that information out to local farmers in order to change their mindsets.
And then there is Agro Queens…
Agro Queens is a group I’ve created to provide support for women in agriculture. typically, there is not much support for women in our area: usually it’s the women who work in the field and the men of the family or the husband who then sell the produce and get all their money. Unfortunately, this is still very common here. Agro Queens wants to empower these women by letting them know they can run a business, showing them how to do it and providing support with loans and funding. Women can be landowners in theory, but practice shows that it’s still mostly the men who own land. Before initiatives like Agro Queens, women didn’t even know they could buy their own land with the help of financing. The large chunks of land are still owned by men, and so the idea is to create a community of women helping women. Now at least, I see women busy looking for business opportunities, women coming together to create groups in order to access finance or help each other with grant applications or business plans. Agro Queens is basically an integrated farming entity: we also have cooperatives who help us meet supply orders, we package vegetables – mainly green beans – and meat or fish and supply chain stores in Zambia with fresh produce from local farmers. All this to show women that they can do it. It’s so important that they see this.
What is the goal of your work as a trainer and founder of Agro Queens?
Unfortunately, scams, false or misleading information and shady motives are still pretty common in Zambia: people share false information, maybe the are trying to sell a product and exaggerate how much farmers make,… so there’s a lot of misconceptions on farming and agriculture and people who get into farming not knowing the reality. I’m aiming to get the right information out there for farmers.
How are you perceived as a woman in agriculture?
Most people will still say “no, you can’t. A woman can’t be a farmer, that’s not right” or “are you sure you’re a farmer? You don’t look like one.” Being a woman and being young still makes me somehow uncredible as someone working in agriculture. That’s partly because agriculture here is mainly something people who retire back to the farm do. So I get a lot of “women shouldn’t be doing it alone, it’s a lot of hard work, a woman can’t manage”,… but I personally feel women are the best managers of businesses. We pay attention to detail and that’s so important in the most sensitive jobs. Women definitely run businesses better if you ask me (laughs)!
What could be done to improve this situation?
I think if women were given more support to help run their businesses, like training, help with (access to) financing,… that would go a very long way towards change. Farming is not an easy business, it’s very costly. Women especially need extra support.
You are also an influencer. Tell us about that!
It’s very special because I am among the first agriculture influencers in Zambia! Basically I do promotion for companies and manufacturers, showcasing tractors for example; I talk about my daily life as a farmer and good agricultural practices. Things like mulching, intercropping, crop rotation, drip irrigation,… with the emphasis on how to do it better. I also talk about risk planning and risk management which are things that we overlook, especially in Zambia. I help farmers choose the right variety of plant with regards to droughts and floods; how to store; how to save water and plan ahead. Farmers trust the information I share and being among the first agfluencers in Zambia is amazing, especially as a woman!
You certainly are an example for young women dreaming of a career in farming. How does that feel?
It’s really exciting! I have been looking for a role model so often and I know other young girls and women are too. Being able to help other start businesses, save money, plan properly and avoiding mistakes you have made on your own farm feels amazing.
More women are joining agriculture now. A friend of mine organises a Women in Agribusiness conference. This year, close to four hundred women gathered there! Most of them were women in agribusiness, starting out businesses or doing something in the industry. I definitely see a rise in women in agriculture right now, and more movements for and by women who are interested in agriculture.
Do you have any advice for other women interested in agriculture or the agricultural business?
A piece of advice I would give young girls is to focus on their dreams. I’ve gotten a lot of connections by putting myself out there networking with people, finding myself, finding opportunities to meet people who can help me with my dreams, my goals. Don’t be afraid to knock on every door: if one doesn’t open another one surely will. Be aggressive with what you want through networking, finding a mentor and being in spaces that give you direction of where you want to go.
You can follow Agro Queen Maanda:
This article was published in Women in Ag Mag 2024-003. Click here to read the magazine
