# Zimbabwe Women Cotton Farmers Create Value Beyond White Gold

> Zimbabwean women farmers use sewing and savings to earn beyond cotton harvests amid climate challenges.
- Title: Zimbabwe Women Cotton Farmers Create Value Beyond White Gold
- Summary: Zimbabwean women farmers use sewing and savings to earn beyond cotton harvests amid climate challenges. Zimbabwean women cotton farmers create income through…
- Keywords: zimbabwe, cotton, women, seamstress, savings, shamva, cotton farmers, climate change, news, world, politics, Farmers
- Source: Allafrica — https://allafrica.com/stories/202610190476.html
- Published: 2026-10-19T13:55:01+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: zimbabwe, cotton, women, seamstress, savings, shamva, cotton farmers, climate change, news, world, politics
## Cotton as White Gold
Zimbabwean women farmers call cotton their white gold for household income.

> Shamva is a very dry region, and most men survive on illegal gold mining. But for us as women, cotton is our white gold
## Climate Challenges
Unpredictable weather and poor seed reduce cotton harvests and income for farmers.

> Cotton does not require much water, but the rains are no longer reliable
## Low Cotton Prices
Farmers sell cotton for US$0.24 per kilogram versus world market prices.

> The money we are selling per kilogram versus the world market price is very upsetting
## Sewing Initiative
Women use sewing machines to make uniforms and repairs for community income.

> The sewing initiative is helping us a lot. When the fields fail to produce, we then rely on sewing
## Collective Savings
Women save together for household needs and farming expenses.

> We also do savings as a group to assist each other financially or loan when we want to buy farming inputs
## COTTCO Support
COTTCO provides subsidized seed and payment support for farmers.

> COTTCO said it supplied certified seed, including drought-tolerant, early-maturing varieties
## Women's Economic Role
Women face restrictions in mining but cotton offers economic opportunities.

> So as an organisation, cotton is white gold because that is the only field we can mine without restrictions
## Climate Impact
Weather patterns affect cotton harvests and payment timing for farmers.

> The severity of it is the most scariest
## Sewing Benefits
Sewing provides income beyond agricultural season and offsets crop failures.

> We get money from there and put it in our savings, and we all benefit
## Future Plans
Women aim to create value-added products from cotton for household use.

> We can do that on our own
## Climate Resilience
Women use sewing and savings to adapt to climate challenges and economic uncertainty.

> We had an exchange with women cotton farmers in Malawi, and they are doing value addition
## Key takeaway

Zimbabwean women cotton farmers create income through sewing and collective savings to offset climate risks and low cotton prices.