Agriculture
Women Farmers Seek More Govt’s Support
A group of women farm
ers in Ogun State has urged the Federal Government to consider channeling more resources to women farmers in ensuring household food security.
The farmers, supported by the Country Women Association of Nigeria (COWAN), a non profit-making organisation, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Ijebu-Ode recently.
Speaking to The Tide on the sidelines of a meeting organised by COWAN, the women said sustainable agriculture could only be feasible through the input of women farmers.
COWAN’s State Co-ordinator in Plateau Mrs Jessica Vonkat, , said not much was being done by government and various stakeholders towards integrating rural women producers in agricultural interventions.
She said this was in spite of women playing a leading role in farming and contributing to the national food reserve.
“The purpose of forming this organisation was solely to seek ways of uplifting grassroots women.
“This is necessary as they are faced with problems in accessing the requisite knowledge to turn their agricultural enterprises into viable and profitable entities, as well as seeking funding.
“The vital role women play in rural agricultural production has been previously underestimated, yet this lack of recognition of women’s contribution in agriculture and rural development has persisted,” Vonkat said.
She said women made up the majority of rural agricultural producers and were the backbone of food supply.
“Regardless of their limited access to land and discriminative property rights, which is rather unfortunate, they still have to perform their duties as mothers.”
The Plateau COWAN co-ordinator said government should consider coming up with initiatives which support women farmers since they were among the most vulnerable groups.
The Chairperson, Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria Mrs Dorcas Owokade, (ASSAPIN), Ijebu-Irawo Chapter in Ogun, said women farmers were still being marginalised.
“The support we are getting from government is not tangible but there are promises still to be fulfilled.
“We need to fully participate in farming so that we can boost the country’s food security and ensure that the nation doesn’t import to cover food deficit,” Owokade said.
Another farmer, Mrs Mary Mabinuori, who is a fish breeder, said women faced difficulties in accessing inputs with a few benefiting under government’s agricultural mechanisation programme.
“We have not mechanised the way we do our work. So, you will find that we use what is commonly known as hoes to do our work.
“You will find that the output is low. So, we need to come up with a voice that is convincing to our donors and to our governments so that they can give a helping hand to feed this nation.
“We need tractors, and we need harvesters,” said Mabinuori.
On her part, Mrs Adetoun Sanni, a cassava and maize farmer from Ogun Waterside area, encouraged more women and youths to embrace farming, saying it was profitable if done properly.
The Tide reports that COWAN, established in 1982, is an organisation for rural women.
It intends to assist them in overcoming key problems inhibiting their participation in food production and socio-economic development.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.
