The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has sought the Federal Government’s collaboration on women’s education to boost food production and national development.
The Executive Director of IFAD in Nigeria, Dr. Yaya Olaniran emphasized this during an Open House Exhibition Fair and Gender Dialogue in Abuja.
The event included the awarding of certificates to youth and women in agriculture for their contributions to food production.
The event, themed “Inspire Inclusion” in commemoration of International Women’s Day, focused on “Investing in Women in Agriculture.”
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What he said
Olaniran highlighted the far-reaching impact of women’s education on families, communities, and the nation as a whole, noting its role in improving households.
- “When you train a woman, you are training the home, community and more importantly the next generation.
- “Mothers look after children in every aspect like welfare, health feeding and more importantly their spiritual well-being.
- “My appeal is the education of women; such education has to do with different categories; everyone needs to be educated to play their role regarding what to do for us, our nation and indeed for our ward.
- “We cannot afford not to do it and do it well; everyone has to work together to meet the needs of women,” he said.
Dr Donal Brown, Associate Vice President, of the Programme Management Department, IFAD, Rome, said women played a key role in the production, processing, and marketing of food and making decisions in the home that guarantee adequate nutrition.
Brown assured of IFAD’s commitment to further enhance the productivity of women in agriculture to improve their livelihood and income.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, reiterated that women played a vital role in agricultural production, processing and marketing to boost production.
He said women had proven to be pivotal in farm production and better managers of farm enterprises.
- “When you empower women, they empower the family; any family that is empowered, turn out to empower the community.
- “If you give women N20,000, it will have a multiplier effect in terms of welfare, nutrition and health of the family; therefore, women need to be supported, and empowered in their area of strength,’’ he said.
Abdullahi identified some of the challenges affecting women in food production as processing, marketing and storage, and assured of the ministry’s commitment to support them in mitigating these challenges.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goals
Ms Beatrice Eyang, UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, identified training of women as pivotal to food security and the end to poverty.
Eyang therefore noted that the needs of women and children should be prioritized to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She noted that Nigeria is falling behind in SDG five, centred on gender equality and women empowerment. She stated that for instance, among the challenges facing women are limited access to land, markets, and information.
She also emphasized the necessity of facilitating women’s access to finance, markets, and information, while advocating for the promotion of climate-smart agriculture and digital platforms.