FG/IFAD project beneficiaries seek investment on rural women

By Felicia Imohimi

The Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Assisted Projects beneficiaries say there is need to support rural women to ensure food security, build climate resilience and strengthen the economy.

The beneficiaries made the call at a summit in commemoration of International Day of Rural Women African Union (AU) headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mrs Vera Onyeaka-Onyilo, Knowledge Management and Communication Advisor, IFAD, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said the summit was organised by AU and development partners.

The theme of the summit was “Empowering Women Living in Rural Areas through Education and Access to Technology: Bridging the Gap for Inclusive and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in Africa.’’

According to Onyeaka-Onyilo, the programme is an opportunity to build network with rural women and several strategic actors to continually exchange best practices.

“The programme will also help to empower rural women including youth for sustainable food security and better incomes,’’ she said.

Mrs Patricia Achii, Nigeria beneficiary of FG/IFAD-Assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), noted the challenges faced by rural women and how the project had supported them to surmount the challenges in the community.

Achii, an entrepreneur in cassava value chain was a panelist at a fish bowl discussion on “Access to Productive Resources (Land, Finance, Technology and Productivity Enhancing Inputs), Market Linkages for Women Living in Rural Areas.’’

Achii said the role of women in national development could not be overemphasised, as education and access to technology was critical toward empowering rural women to achieve inclusive and sustainable food systems.

“With the support of VCDP, I established an adult literacy training centre for women in my community and about 1,000 women have graduated from this literacy class.

“These women are now able to read and write and manage their farming activities as a business,” she said.

Mrs Temilade Ebiware, beneficiary from the IFAD-Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Niger-Delta (LIFE-ND), said that capacity building by LIFE-ND on climate smart agriculture had equipped her with great knowledge.

Ebiware added that the capacity building had also helped her to adapt to climate change in her aquaculture business.

She was a panelist on “Building Capacities of Women Living in Rural Areas for Sustaining Nature, Building Climate Resilience and Caring for Lands in Africa.”

Mrs Dede Ekoue, Country Director, IFAD Nigeria, said that IFAD in line with the Nigeria Food Systems Transformation Pathways (FSTP), was helping smallholders’ especially rural women to increase their incomes.

Ekoue said that the FSTP had, as well, improved their access to markets, increase production and build resilience for them.

Her presentation was tagged “Capacity Strengthening and Access to Advisory Services for Women Living in Rural Areas: Key Successes, Challenges and Way Forward.’’

Ekoue said that the organisation was promoting key initiatives such as the Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS).

According to her, the GALS are to achieve a more equitable balance in workloads and in sharing of economic benefits between women and men.

“The GALS methodology has greatly empowered women to have voice in their households and communities and changed relationship dynamics between spouses in many households.

“IFAD is working with the Federal Government on Digital Innovation Action Plan to scale-up digital solutions for increased uptake among women and young people.

“The aim is to enhance productivity, production food and nutrition security, market access, income and resilience of smallholder farmers,” she said.

Also, Amb. Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture Rural Development Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (AU), identified women living in rural areas as central to Africa’s agricultural landscape.

Sacko said that the women were contributing significantly to food production, processing and distribution.

“In spite these contributions; they face considerable barriers, including limited access to education, productive resources and assets, political representation.

“Also, most of the time, the women are excluded in the decision-making processes in affairs that impact them,’’ she said.

Sacko assured that the AU would work with various stakeholders to identify gaps and gather inputs to ensure a comprehensive approach in the development of a continental policy framework for women in agriculture.

According to Sacko, the approach will inform the establishment of the Platform for African Women in Agriculture (PAWA). (NAN)