Zanzibar’s Seaweed Boom Is Empowering Women Farmers

[ad_1] by Jameelah Mullen November 3, 2025

Firms make investments to make sure higher outcomes for ladies seaweed farmers.

Girls stroll alongside Zanzibar’s seashores in colourful clothes, drawing consideration from vacationers’ cameras as they go about their each day job of gathering seaweed, an important ingredient utilized in varied merchandise like meals, cosmetics, and bioplastics. Seaweed farming has been an important trade in Zanzibar, positioned off a portion of Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast, for many years. Most of Zanzibar’s 25,000 seaweed farmers are girls.

Rising international demand has made it the second-largest contributor to the native financial system after tourism and spices. The trade has additionally attracted larger curiosity from donors and traders, a few of whom goal to put money into measures to deal with the more and more harsh working circumstances that may threaten the protection of ladies seaweed farmers who typically spend lengthy days beneath the solar, which may result in backaches and pores and skin irritation, and bites from sea creatures.

“I expertise ache in my again, waist, and chest as a result of labor within the sea. There are additionally dangers of being stung or bitten,” Mwanaisha Makame Simai informed The Related Press. “Typically sturdy waves sweep you away. I've personally witnessed three instances of individuals drowning.”

Mhando Waziri, challenge supervisor for blue financial system initiatives on the nonprofit Milele Zanzibar Basis, famous that local weather change forces girls deeper into the ocean, placing them susceptible to drowning. Milele’s applications embody educating girls seaweed farmers to swim to fight the chance of drowning.

Most farmers, independently or in collectives, promote their merchandise to native middlemen who promote to bigger firms. Milele has developed applications to assist girls flip seaweed into merchandise, primarily cosmetics. Waziri estimated that seaweed farmers may earn 10 instances as a lot by promoting the uncooked, unprocessed product to different producers.

“Ten years in the past, folks thought you have been loopy for working in seaweed,” Klara Schade, director at Mwani Zanzibar, a boutique seaweed farm within the close by village of Paje, informed the Related Press. “Now it’s develop into a buzzword.” Schade has centered on coaching seaweed farmers in cosmetics manufacturing. Staff at Mwani spend extra time within the workshop than out within the ocean. Schade famous that Mwani’s “face and physique pores and skin superfood” sells on-line for $140, which means its workers earn excess of the common seaweed farmer.