Peasant women of the batéké plateau: invisible pillars of economic resilience between fields, coal and precarity

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the crucial but often overlooked role of women farmers in the Mbankana group (Batéké Plateau) in the economic resilience of households in Kinshasa. A true energy hub and breadbasket of the capital, this region relies on the tireless work of these women who juggle agriculture and charcoal production.The objective is to quantify and value the multidimensional (economic, social, and nutritional) contribution of these women to their households and to urban food supply. The study examines how their multiple activities support family survival despite systemic insecurity and social invisibility. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024 with 120 women in six villages and surrounding farms. The data were processed using SPSS software to extract descriptive statistics. Multiple activities are the norm: 51.6% of the women combine agriculture and charcoal production. The results reveal that women's activities constitute the main source of income for 77.5% of households. However, this crucial role comes at the cost of poor health (95% suffer from chronic pain) and increased exposure to violence (55.8%). Furthermore, 84.2% of respondents report that insecurity linked to the "Mobondo" militias has severely worsened their working conditions.The study demonstrates that while women possess real financial autonomy (67.5% manage their income independently), they face total institutional isolation (86.6% have no support). To transform this survival resilience into sustainable autonomy, cooperative organization and land tenure security are essential.