Women Farmers return hoe to Gombe Govt, demand implementation of gender policy in Agric, others
Chima Azubuike
Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), Gombe chapter on Wednesday returned a symbolic ‘hoe’ to the State Government with requests for more investment in Agriculture.
Commemorating the World Food Day organised in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Actionaid Nigeria, and Hope Foundation for the Lonely, the group urged for support especially those centred on alleviating the plight of rural women farmers.
Our Correspondent reports that the event was used to showcase food items both processed, and freshly harvested by members from the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State.
Expressing the desires of women farmers, the State leader Airudia Mamman, called on government to create budget lines to fund the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture.
The Organisation also stressed the need for Gombe State Government to ensure the implementation as budgeted in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry budgetary allocation for smallholder women farmers.
Mamman said, “Smallholder women farmers should be included in agriculture budget and policy making processes in Gombe State. Funds allocated to SWOFON in the Gombe State Agriculture Budget should be released to support SWOFON as stated in the Budget.
“Massive investments should focus on tackling post-harvest losses (through processing facilities, storage facilities, trainings, market access, etc.), climate change, insecurity, and farmers- herders’ clashes in Gombe State.
“Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry should constitute a Gender Steering Committee which will include SWOFON for the Implementation of the Gender Policy in the Agricultural sector, in a bid to offer equal access and gender-sensitive approaches towards food production.
“On the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture:
For capacity building, SWOFON should be included into annual trainings of Ministry of Agriculture, Gombe State, Financial Institutions and Development Partners captured in the policy.”
While urging Government on the need for female extension agents, the group disclosed that it would fill the large gender gap in extension services currently existing between farmers and extension agents’ ratio.
“Gender units in the State in collaboration with relevant agencies should train smallholder women farmers on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
“The State governments should specially design capacity development programmes to improve the capacity of Smallholder Women Farmers on mitigation and adaptation strategies against Climate Change and provide access to organic fertilizers and organic control of pest.
“The gender unit of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry should establish new mechanism and indicators for data collection which should be gender sensitive, specifically reflecting the concerns of Smallholder women farmers,” SWOFON added.
Receiving Copies of the Organisation’s demand, Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Manassah Jatau, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Mohammed Getado, noted that the Muhammadu Yahaya’s administration would do all within its power to support women farmers.
He assured that in the next two years the government would ensure the gradual transfer from hoe to mechanised farming, adding that there are deliberate attempts by the current administration to boost accruable earnings in Agriculture.
“Today is a great day as far as farmers are concerned. Today, it is world food day. I have just received your requests in two or three books, we will go through it with directors in the ministry before sending it to higher authorities.
“We will keep this hoe down in the next two or three years but it has to be a gradual process,” the Deputy Governor said.
While commending the women for their efforts, Jatau expressed optimism that government would complement it going forward.
He added,” We are going to establish wet markets and I believe you women are going to benefit and it is going to be constructed across the 11 Local Government Areas Inshallah.”
Delivering a paper on the importance of nutrition Regina Sodu, admonished guests to eat balanced diet, saying “Eating the right amounts and kinds of food positively affects health, energy, appearance and the way a person feels. Thus nutrition is how the body makes use of the food eaten for good health.”
