Call for women empowerment in the agric sector

Women contribute tremendously to agricultural output but unfortunately they hardly benefit from agricultural incentives and innovations because of economic suppression, social and traditional practices. According to Abigail Anaba of AgroNigeria, report has it that women make up 70% of the world’s agricultural labour force. However, ignorance had hitherto been adduced as the reason why women […]

Women contribute tremendously to agricultural output but unfortunately they hardly benefit from agricultural incentives and innovations because of economic suppression, social and traditional practices.
According to Abigail Anaba of AgroNigeria, report has it that women make up 70% of the world’s agricultural labour force.
However, ignorance had hitherto been adduced as the reason why women do not benefit from agricultural programmes and projects.
Anaba said although women farmers are aware and desire the benefits of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides and tractors, none of them are able to have direct access. She said they have to get such inputs through their husbands, who do not get enough of such and must satisfy the needs of their own farms, either.
Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, said, “When women are empowered and can claim their rights and access to land, leadership opportunities and choices, economic growth, food security is enhanced and prospects are improved for current and future generations.”
Realizing the importance of women in agriculture and the need to address the issue of poor access to markets and finance, inadequate business support services, low level of education, poor business skills and socio-cultural restrictions being suffered by women, the Growth and Employment in State-Wholesale and Retail sector (GEMS4), has launched a women economic empowerment funding window under the GEMS4 Enterprise Challenge Fund.
Bachelet said the fund is a business contest targeted at private sector actors with the aim of encouraging their willingness to develop and adopt innovative business models and approaches that will create jobs and improve the income of financially challenged women engaged in wholesale and retail trade.
She also explained that the £3.5 million private sector development matching grant seeks to support initiatives from Lagos, Kano, Cross River, Kaduna and Enugu.
She said: “Through this initiative, GEMS4 is set to provide both technical and financial support of up to £150,000 for eligible private sector actors whose business or innovative entries will ultimately result in the creation of jobs and improved incomes for economically challenged women within the sector.
“Information on the fund can be found online via this link: www.gems4nigeria.com/challengefund,” she said.
Dr Bassey Nnimmo, chairman of the global green fund said, “Women are vital in our society; women are central to finding the solution to a problem; women are trustworthy, they do not only fight for themselves but for the whole nation.”
He assured the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development that he will give his support to ensure that the goals to empower women are achieved.
A representative of the UN women, Mr. Desmond Osehmenjie, said government should make women part of the agenda and that government should also consciously talk about the strategic implementation of gender issues.
“We submitted the catalog of the ministry to Muhammadu Buhari the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he was very happy and he promised to support us,” Mrs. Esther Eghobamien-Msheila, the director of women and gender affairs, added.
The Ministry of Women Affairs on its part urged Nigerians to join hands to implement the sustainable development goals in the country.
The GEMS4 is a market development project in Nigeria funded by DFID/UKAid and supported by the World Bank with the mandate to stimulate market system changes that encourage growth and access; resulting in the creation of 10,000 new jobs and increased incomes for 500,000 people, especially for poor men and women.