By Hamad Rashid,
The international organization Landesa celebrated the International Day of Rural Women by collaborating with various stakeholders on land issues, providing rural women a platform to voice their concerns, present their demands to the relevant authorities and revealing a women’s land rights manifesto.
The event, which took place on October 17, 2025, in the Kaole area along the shores of the Indian Ocean in the historic city of Bagamoyo, Eastern Tanzania, attracted many attendees. Participants had the opportunity to learn, share experiences, and discuss challenges and successes in the land rights movement for rural women in Tanzania, the SADC region, and throughout the African continent.
According to Khadija Mrisho, a Senior Land Tenure Specialist from Landesa, the organization has been celebrating this day for over five years to promote education about women’s land rights through discussion forums.
“Landesa has been using this day to educate women about their land rights, you know most of the rural women are farmers, so we want to see all of them secure ownership of the land they use. That is why we organize these dialogue platforms between women, stakeholders and government leaders. This year we have also used this platform to reveal the Women’s Land Rights Manifesto” said Khadija Mrisho, Senior Land Tenure Specialist – Landesa.
Khadija Mrisho: Senior Land Tenure specialist – Landesa
The International Day of Rural Women was established by the United Nations (UN) through its women’s organization, UN Women, on 15 October 2008. Speaking at the celebration, the Bagamoyo District Commissioner, Shaibu Ndemanga, supported the efforts and emphasized the importance of creating an environment of equality in land ownership for women, saying that this step is an important pillar of sustainable development in society.
DC Ndemanga in his speech addresses “Around the world, rural women are the mainstay of food production and in fact they are the catalyst for sustainable development for the community and the Nation, they have been engaged in fishing, animal husbandry, agriculture and I have also witnessed them engaging in honey harvesting, fruit harvesting but they are also entrepreneurs so, it is important to prioritize the rights of rural women
Shaibu Ndemanga: Bagamoyo District Commissioner
Voices of rural women in the celebration.
Smallholder women farmers from Kiteto District, Northern Tanzania they talked about how (IRWD) advocats equal rights in their lives.
Asha Katire says “this day is very important for us, it gives us the strength to continue the fight for our rights, it makes the rural woman aware of herself by seeing that she too has the right to own land, we call on Landesa, HakiArdhi, Miico, Tawla and other stakeholders, to develop these platforms for rural women to recognize and claim their land rights, a good example is, I had my Inheritance Farm that was taken away by my in-laws, but thanks to the help of advocates I have recovered my property”
Khadija Madoe also said “what I have learned is that, many women do not own land because the existing system does not allow women to have property rights, especially in our village, men own the land, but through dialogue and discussions, women should fight for our rights”
Asha Katire: A small village farmer – Manyara
Women at the celebration OF THE (IRWD)
In 2025, the celebration has been unique, delegates from 10 countries from the Southern African (SADC) representing the Rural Women’s Assembly gathered to participate, where Emilia Hatendi from Zimbabwe conveyed their demands to the Governments of African Nations and the entire world.
Emilia said “We are here in Bagamoyo to celebrate the International Day of Rural Women, this day is very important for us as rural farmers, the rural women’s forum is a gathering of rural women farmers, we unite in a common struggle, on issues of land ownership, we talk about Water, women do not have the right to Water, we are concerned with issues of Climate Change, drought, floods affect us”
“These are the results of rural women, we are conveying a message to Leaders that, on this International Day of Rural Women, we say, we need not only Land but Land and Water, we also need climate change rights” Hatendi added with great emphasis.
A portion of ORGANIC seeds displayed by rural women at IRWD commemoration
On the Tanzanian side, the organization that coordinates the Southern African Rural Women’s Assembly, Miico, its Director, Catherine Mulaga said, “they use the Rural Women’s Day to present women’s agendas to decision-makers, and that is why this year we have carried the agenda of giving women a place in land ownership, knowing that land is the main fundamental in all activities carried out by rural women”
During the celebrations, the Women’s Land Rights Manifesto, under the Stand for Her Land Campaign, was officially revealed by the Bagamoyo District Commissioner, Shaibu Ndema.
Picture: during the Launch of the Women’s Land Rights Manifesto.
Speaking at the event, Senior Land Tenure Specialist from Landesa Masalu Luhula said the campaign advocates for equal rights for all women, especially in access to land resources, where women will have freedom.
“Landesa, we are the Secretariat of the Stand for Her Land Campaign in Tanzania, this campaign emphasizes women’s rights, so we are sure that when a woman has the right to secure land ownership, the entire community is secure, and that is the basis of the Manifesto revealed today” Stated Masalu Luhula.
Masalu Luhula: Senior Land Tenure Specialist – Landesa
