Food Security: FG, Kwara Govt. pledge more commitment to women farmers

The Federal Government has affirmed its commitment to assisting women farmers in Kwara toward achieving food security in the state.

The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Kwara, Mrs Faith Agu, made the pledge when he received members of the Smallscale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON) and the Budget Committee Group (BCG) on an advocacy visit.

Agu said that the ministry was ready to avail women farmers the opportunity to benefit from empowerment programmes and different government’s supporting aids to farmers.

She also said that women farmers were core section of farmers putting food on the table of most people and not for export purpose, hence their growth and development must be supported.

She said she was aware of some inputs distributed to SWOFON members in some states, and called on Kwara members to be patient.

Agu also said that subsequent programmes of the ministry would involve the community of Persons With Disabilities for inclusivity.

Earlier in a remark, Mr Abdurrahman Ayuba, Coordinator of the Scaling Up Public Investment in Agriculture (SUPIA) project, under ActionAid, said that women form the backbone of food production in Nigeria.

Ayuba, however, regretted that women were often sidelined in agricultural planning and support.

He appreciated past interventions from the federal ministry of agriculture and called for more targeted efforts.

He said that efforts were needed, especially in areas, such as climate-resilient agriculture, irrigation technology for dry-season farming, and strategies, to reduce post-harvest losses through processing and storage facilities.

At the Kwara State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), the team was received by the Project Administrative Officer, Mrs Aminah Jidah, who pledged the support of the State Government to livestock rearing and production in the state.

Jidah said the project was ready to support women farmers, who were into livestock production, as well as tutor those that had interest in venturing into it.

She also said that L-PRES engages in periodical training to keep farmers abreast of happenings in the livestock world and also prioritises women farmers.

She said the 30 per cent allocated to women farmers during their periodic trainings was a testament to their gender balanced programmes.

Jidah also urged the women farmers to always approach L-PRES whenever the need arose for increased productivity.

Earlier, the SWOFON Coordinator in Kwara, Mrs Modupe Suleiman, called for targeted support for women farmers so as to meet their farming needs to ensure food sufficiency in the state.

Our correspondent reports that the BCG, made up of 12 organisations under the SUPIA project, conducts annual budget reviews to advocate for inclusive agricultural financing in Kwara.