Africa: Flowers and trade: A fair deal for African women?

Tens of thousands of African women are employed in the export horticulture sector where fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers are grown for foreign, mainly European, markets. A two year multi-institutional research project co-ordinated by the UK's Institute of Development Studies examined the employment conditions of workers, particularly women, in the export horticulture sector in South Africa, Kenya and Zambia. The research report highlights the gap between the requirements of the ethical trade codes and the reality of women work.