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By Lindelwa Booi, Founder of HALA Community Advisory Organisation & Managing Director at XBM Legacy Agricultural Cooperative 

In South Africa, rural women are doing more than farming, they’re cultivating change. With little more than resilience and inherited vision, many of us are redefining what entrepreneurship looks like outside urban boardrooms. 

I speak from experience. I left behind a legal career to continue the work of my late husband — a farmer passionate about using agriculture to uplift our community in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape. What started as a family cooperative became a community movement. Today, through our work at XBM, we employ local youth, feed families with affordable produce, and support the elderly — all while battling the persistent challenges rural entrepreneurs face. 

Despite accounting for about a third of all jobs in agriculture, women in this sector remain under-resourced and overlooked. Just 15–20% of landholders in sub-Saharan Africa are women, and access to capital, infrastructure, and markets is still uneven. In areas like ours, poor road conditions, unreliable irrigation systems, and limited equipment are not just inconveniences — they’re barriers to progress. And yet, we continue. 

South Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit is undeniable. Over 21.9% of businesses are now women-owned, and 11.1% of working-age women are involved in early-stage ventures. But for rural women, entrepreneurship is rarely a buzzword, it’s survival. It’s showing up every day to create jobs where there are none, to keep the youth hopeful, and to make sure the elderly don’t go to town just to buy vegetables they can’t carry back home. 

This is where I believe the future lies – not in replicating urban models, but in backing the women already building something in forgotten places. Women in rural areas are not waiting for change; they are building it with what they have. And when empowered, the ripple effect is massive. Research shows that women reinvest up to 90% of their income into their families and communities. The return on investing in women isn’t just economic, it’s generational. 

As the government and private sector look toward inclusive recovery and sustainable growth, I urge them to look toward rural women. Invest in infrastructure, provide tools, offer skills development, and make funding accessible without red tape. Give us the support — and we will do the rest.Rural women entrepreneurs are not aspiring to participate in the economy. We already are. We just need the space and support to grow deeper roots. 

Lindelwa Booi is a qualified advocate and founder of HALA Community Advisory Organisation. She leads XBM Legacy Agricultural Cooperative in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, where she focuses on sustainable farming, youth empowerment, and rural economic inclusion.

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