Seaweed turns the financial tide for Zanzibari women

Seth Onyango, Bird Story Agency…..

As the sun rises over Zanzibar’s pristine shores, a group of women wade into the shallow, azure waters, their silhouettes casting long shadows on the sand.

With practised hands, they tend to their seaweed farms, nurturing the delicate crops that have become a cornerstone of their livelihoods.

For thousands of these women across the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago, seaweed farming is more than just a means of earning income — it has become a critical lifeline.

Most use their earnings to increase their contribution to supporting their households, funding their children’s education, and driving community development.

It has been a game changer for many who traditionally engaged in domestic roles. More than this, the activity is also reshaping the island’s economy.

A report by ONE, a global, non-partisan advocacy organisation, noted that some women have even started small enterprises, further diversifying their income streams.

Others, through their savings, have been able to build a small house that they now rent out.

“As true innovators, they have now expanded into entrepreneurship: making seaweed-based products to sell to both tourists and locals,” said ONE in its analysis.

“They bake seaweed snacks, manufacture organic seaweed soaps mixed with different spices found on the island, and have developed seaweed scrubs and oils.”

Seaweed is now one of Zanzibar’s largest exports, overtaking traditional spice trade commodities like cloves and nutmeg.

With over 90% of seaweed farmers being women, the industry has become a key driver of gender empowerment in coastal communities.

“Excluded from fishing and tourism jobs because of their gender, Zanzibari women turned to seaweed farming, which required no need for a boat or knowledge of how to swim,” the Borgen Project noted in its analysis last August.

The Project advocates for U.S. political action on global poverty, working with Congress to support legislation improving conditions in developing nations.

This shift is profound in a region where alternative employment opportunities outside of tourism are often scarce.

Zanzibar’s primary seaweed export is the spiny Eucheuma (Eucheuma denticulatum), commonly known in the market as “E. cottonii.”

Seaweed accounts for over 90% of the island’s marine product exports and is shipped to China, Korea, Vietnam, Denmark, Spain, France, and the U.S.

It serves as a base ingredient for cosmetics, lotions, toothpaste, medicines, and food, where, in China, it is even consumed as a vegetable.

Despite its economic importance, Zanzibar’s seaweed industry faces significant obstacles, primarily due to climate change.

Rising ocean temperatures have led to shorter growing seasons, affecting production levels.

The UN warns that “climate change is creating shorter growing seasons and warmer waters, leading to a decrease in commercial seaweed yields.”

Farmers also struggle with the physical demands of the work, which involves spending long hours in saltwater, tying seedlings to ropes, and battling unpredictable tides.

“The work is hard, but it allows us to earn our own money,” said Fatima Shani, a seaweed farmer from Paje, a coastal town in Zanzibar.

“We wake up early and spend the day in the ocean, but at least we know that what we are doing will help us and our families.”

Despite the challenges, innovation in the sector has begun to reshape the industry.

Instead of selling raw seaweed for low prices on international markets, women-led businesses like Mwani Zanzibar are pioneering value-added products, transforming seaweed into organic luxury skincare items, soaps, and other sustainable goods.

This comes as the Zanzibar Seaweed Company (ZASCO) has begun construction of a US$8 million seaweed processing facility, expected to be the largest in Africa.

The facility could further bolster earnings for women growers as they move up the value chain.

“The shift from simply exporting raw seaweed to processing it into finished products has significantly improved the financial returns for farmers,”,

“The shift from simply exporting raw seaweed to processing it into finished products has significantly improved the financial returns for farmers,” notes the UN World Bank Global Seaweed: New and Emerging Markets Report 2023.

One such success story is the Mwani Mamas, a collective of women who harvest and process seaweed into beauty products for Mwani Zanzibar, a sustainable luxury skincare company.

According to a Vogue comprehensive analysis, these women now earn between US$250 and US$300 per month, almost seven times more than the $35 monthly average for traditional seaweed farmers.

This shift is key in breaking cycles of financial dependence.

As one farmer, Patima Haji Pandu told Vogue: “As a woman in Zanzibar, you have to have a backup house because you can’t guarantee marriage here. If you have a backup house, there’s no more stress.”

Experts argue that diversifying seaweed’s applications—beyond skincare and food—could transform Zanzibar’s economic landscape.

Global demand for seaweed-based products, from bioplastics to animal feed, is rising, and Zanzibar is well-positioned to benefit.

Still, for the industry to thrive, investment in innovation and infrastructure is critical.

The UN-World Bank report stresses that “inclusive value chains that integrate local processing and entrepreneurship are essential for long-term sustainability.”

“Scaling sustainable farming, harvesting, and building bigger biorefinery facilities close to farms will improve the sector’s environmental footprint and economic viability.”

For now, women like Pandu continue their work, wading into the tides each day, securing seaweed to their ropes, and hoping that the industry that sustains them will, in turn, receive the support it needs to grow.