Stakeholders
By Bukola Adewumi
Abuja, Oct.31, 2019(NAN) Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and ActionAid, Nigeria have called on all stakeholders to support the initiative of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to implement the gender policy on agricultural in Nigeria.
Dr Suffyan Koroma, Country Representative of FAO, who was represented by Saadiya Haliru, the programme Officer/Gender Focal of FAO made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the Lunch of the National Gender Policy on Agriculture.
He said that the policy document would address the challenges of smallholders’ farmers in the rural areas to empower them for zero hunger food security and ensure sustainable of women in agriculture.
According to him, FAO is delighted to be part of the event to lunch the National Gender Policy on agriculture to address the challenges of women farmers in Nigeria.
“We in FAO commend and support the laudable initiative from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop a gender policy to promote ,support and encourage equal contribution of both women and men in agricultural sector development of Nigeria.’’
“Here in Nigeria, FAO is implementing a number of projects in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and women participation is fully mainstreamed into the project design and implementation.
“ Some of the projects implemented by FAO include the livelihood support to benefit women and girls IDPs and returnees in Adamawa, production processing and marketing of cassava products.’’
He said that the initiative to develop and implement gender policy in agriculture was in line with the mandate of FAO and would contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goal which was to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girl.
He said that FAO also organsied training for gender inclusive and cultural growth to strengthen capacity of various department of the federal ministry, states, NGOs, CBN with adequate knowledge and tools in gender mainstreaming .
“Am happy to inform you that the food and agriculture organisation of the United Nation and ECOWAS in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria also commissioned the national gender profile of agriculture and rural livelihood in 2018.
“ We have also implemented some key projects to support women to empower women and girls.’’
Mrs Ene Obi, the Country Director ActionAid, also commended the FMARD for the policy to help support women and strengthen the agriculture sector.
“ In ActionAid, we want to see this policy, we have worked along the line with the committee organsied to make sure that the implementation is real; that why we invited the small scale women farmers from all the 36 states of the federation.
“We are excited about the lunch of the policy; we believe that with the policy, we can have something to engage the government with.
“The essence of bringing the smallholders women farmers from all the states of the federation to make sure that they can engage to meet their counterparts; they are able to hold them responsible in all the states levels.’’
She however craved the indulgence of the desk officers from the ministry of agriculture to meet with women farmers from all the states of the federation including FCT.
“ We have been working with these women and ActionAid is hosting the secretariat of SWOFON; we are building their capacity and investing in the women farmers.
“Because we believe in the work that they are doing; we believe that when you enhance their capacity, you are building the capacity of the Nigerian women and the Nigerian nation,’’ she said.
“We can only achieve the set objectives of the national gender policy in agriculture through the involvement of the women smallholder women farmers and these women are employers of labour because many of them have expanded their work.’’
She said that in making policy decision, women from all the states of the federation must be engaged.
Mrs Janet Olayeye, the National Public Relations Officer, SWOFON appealed to the minister to see that the policy was implemented to enable women grow to increase productivity.
“We pray that the policy will not just be a paper policy but should be implemented to grow the sector. (NAN)
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Edited by Grace Yussuf