Trending 
Women cotton farmers in Zimbabwe’s Shamva district have turned to sewing and group savings to protect their incomes from climate change, low cotton prices and delayed payments.
The women make school uniforms, take clothing orders, and repair garments to earn money beyond the farming season. They call cotton their “white gold” because it helps support their families in a community where women say they have limited ways to earn a living.
Brenda Dzuda, a 48-year-old widow who farms four hectares in Shamva, Mashonaland Central, said unpredictable weather, poor seed quality and low prices had made cotton farming more difficult.
“Shamva is a very dry region, and most men survive on illegal gold mining. But for us as women, cotton is our white gold,” she said.
Dzuda and other women farmers said cultural expectations and traditional restrictions limited their participation in mining. As a result, many rely on cotton farming but are now seeking other ways to support their households.
Climate Change Adds To Farming Challenges
Across Shamva, dry cotton stalks remain in the fields after the harvest. Farmers have packed their cotton into sacks, with some selling their produce to earn money for household needs and the next farming season.
However, the cost of seed, fertiliser, chemicals and labour continues to put pressure on farmers. Unpredictable rainfall, long dry spells and high temperatures have also made it harder to grow the crop.
“Cotton does not require much water but the rains are no longer reliable. Sometimes they come earlier than expected or heavier, and sometimes the dry spells last longer than cotton can withstand. We are worried because our livelihoods depend on this crop,” Dzuda said.
Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Services Department had forecast an erratic start to the 2025–2026 rainfall season, with better rainfall prospects from December. For farmers, the timing and amount of rainfall affect when they plant and how well their crops grow.
Dzuda said she was selling cotton for US$0.24 per kilogram. She also questioned the quality of seeds supplied to farmers and the prices they received for their produce.
“The money we are selling per kilogram versus the world market price is very upsetting. We are also not getting the best seed, then our cotton is sold as a third grade, then on the other side we are constantly attacked by the shift in weather patterns. This is a double blow for us,” she said.
Dzuda wants more support for women to process cotton into finished products instead of selling only raw cotton.
“We had an exchange with women cotton farmers in Malawi and they doing value addition. As Zimbabwe Women in Cotton we also wish to have back yard industries because in cotton we get toilet paper, cooking oil, stock feed and many other. We can do that on our own,” she said.
Delayed Payments Deepen Pressure
About 60 kilometres from Dzuda’s farming area, 74-year-old widow Getrude Motsi is also struggling with the challenges of cotton farming. Sacks of harvested cotton remain stored at her home while she waits to sell the produce. The money from the crop could help meet household needs and pay for the next farming season.
“I have been growing cotton since 2014 and for the past seasons everything seemed to be going well, weather conditions are worsening and the severity of it is the most scariest,” she said.
Motsi said delayed payments had added to the problems caused by changing weather conditions. For farmers like her, the work does not end with harvesting. They must also find buyers and receive payment before they can use the money to support their families or invest in another season.
COTTCO Explains Cotton Prices
The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (COTTCO) said it benchmarks producer prices against international market conditions in consultation with regulators. A company representative said cotton is graded from A to D based on fibre maturity, cleanliness, colour and the amount of unwanted material in the crop.
Farmers initially receive payment at the lowest grade, Grade D. The payment is split, with 70 percent paid in US dollars and 30 percent in Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG).
COTTCO said it had made the initial payments in full for the previous season. It added that laboratory grading was nearing completion and it was raising funds for additional payments to farmers whose cotton qualified for Grades A, B or C. The company also said it worked with the government’s Presidential Input Programme to provide subsidised seed, fertiliser, chemicals, herbicides and mechanised tillage services.
On seed quality and weather risks, COTTCO said it supplied certified seeds, including drought-tolerant and early-maturing varieties. It added that extension officers trained farmers in moisture conservation, input placement, weed control and integrated pest management.
For farmers, however, payment timing and the money left after production costs remain key factors in deciding whether they can support their families and plant again.
Sewing Creates Another Income Source
Patience Zhakata, national chairperson of Zimbabwe Women in Cotton, said the restrictions women face in mining reflect wider challenges around economic choices, ownership of productive assets and control over their earnings.
“So as an organisation, cotton is white gold because that is the only field we can mine without restrictions,” she said.
The group is now helping women earn money beyond cotton farming. In 2022, the organisation approached Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxiliia Mnangagwa, who assisted the women with sewing machines. The group began its sewing project in February 2023. The women now make clothes, take orders for school uniforms and repair garments for people in their communities.
Happiness Marape, a trainer in the sewing project, said 60 women in Shamva take part. They meet on different days to ensure everyone has access to the machines.
“The initiative has 60 women in Shamva who meet weekly but on different days so that we all get access to the sewing machines. The sewing machines initiative came as an idea to counter climate shocks which are always attacking women cotton farmers,” she said.
The women also save money together. Members can use the savings to support one another financially or borrow money to buy farming inputs.
“We also do savings as a group to assist each other financially or loan when we want to buy farming inputs,” Marape said.
She said sewing had become an important source of income when farming did not produce enough.
“The sewing initiative is helping us a lot. When the fields fail to produce, we then rely on sewing telling people that we work from cotton to the fabric. We get money from there and put in our savings and we all benefit,” she said.
Although sewing does not solve low cotton prices, rising production costs, or delayed payments, it gives women another way to earn money while they continue farming.
For Dzuda and other cotton farmers in Shamva, the aim is to make their work more rewarding and their households more secure. By combining farming with sewing and group savings, they are building additional income sources to help them through difficult seasons.
Credit: Shorai Murwira by Bird Story Agency.
