The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) has honored women in agriculture and the environment sectors for their contribution to food security, job creation and the fight against poverty.
The prestigious 2024 Provincial Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) gala dinner was held at Lake Umuzi in Secunda August 15.
The event, held under the Theme: “Accelerate progress and achievements of gender equality and the empowerment of women”, using the #InvestInWomen. The provincial WEA is a build-up to the national DALRRD’s WEAs, during which the provincial winners will compete with their peers from other provinces.
These Awards are mainly aimed at recognizing women’s contributions to food security. Categories include Best Female Worker, Best Subsistence Producer, Top Entrepreneurs, Smallholder, Argo-Processor, Commercial Producer and Export Markets.
The Categories also included Special Awards for both Producer with Disability, and a Young Producer. The selection process for participants started with the nomination of best performers in their respective Districts, before a judging panel physically visited their projects for verification.
Earlier on the day, the ladies attended an informative seminar that focused on capacity building in agri-business, environment, and women empowerment.