The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, yesterday, organised a workshop for women farmers from the South-South region on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Declaring the workshop open in Benin, Dr Mahmood Abubakar, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development said the training would build and enhance the resilience of the farmers to the threat and impacts of climate in agricultural production.
The Minister, who was represented by Mr Wellington Omoragbon, State Director of the Federal Ministry in Edo, said Nigeria’s agriculture was most vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts of climate change.
“Indeed, it is rain-fed dependent. Any change in the weather pattern, in terms of the amount, intensity, duration, and the on-set, affect farmers decisions on when, what and where of the crops and inputs as well as other cultural operations in the value chain.
“Climate change and variability affects particularly women who constitute the most vulnerable among the farming communities,” he said.
The minister noted that theme of the workshop, “Mainstreaming Gender into Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Women Farmers” was targeted, innovative and timely particularly with the outcomes of the 2021Climate Change Conference in the United States.
Abubakar, who underscored the critical role of women in agriculture value chain, urged the participants to participate actively in the workshop session and document the strategies and solutions.
The strategies, he said were expected to translate into practice in their various locations.
“Available statistics indicate that women constitute about 80 percent of the labour force involved in agricultural production, grow up to 80 percent of the food in Nigeria.
“Overall, they constitute about 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Yet women face various facets of challenges and needs by women farmers especially climate change and variability, access to information and technologies,” He said.
Abubakar added that the choice of Edo to host the
workshop was because it situated within the rainforest agro ecological zones in the country, facing ecological challenges as a result of the impact of climate change.He also added “as you are aware, the National Gender Policy in Agriculture was approved in 2019 with the thrust hinged on gender equity and equality for optimum productivity in the agricultural sector.
This ultimately, would ensure commitment to gender mainstreaming at all levels of agricultural sector, which is seen as a tool for achieving gender-based reforms and increasing productivity by men and women along all the value chains in the sector.
Also, the National Steering committee for the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture was approved and inaugurated by the ministry in readiness for the implementation of the National Gender Policy”.
In his remark, Mr Peter Aikhumogbe, Permanent Secretary, Edo Ministry for Agriculture and Food Security, lauded the Federal Government for mainstreaming women in agriculture into the climate change discussion.
Knowing the importance of climate smart to agriculture, Aikhumogbe said innovations to mitigate climate change and improve agriculture production was necessary.
The Permanent Secretary expressed delight that women farmers were considered for such opportunity because of their valuable role in the agriculture production line.
“Edo state has put in place strategies and a lot of interventions to support agriculture.
“Our focus and supports are in the areas of maize, rice and sorghum for crop farming; rubber and oil palm for cash crop and livestock productions.
“In all these, we ensure it is 60-40 ratio for men and women farmers. In some cases, it is all women like we have in cassava processing.
“We take intervention for women farmers very seriously”, he said.
Earlier in her address, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwu, Head of Gender Desk, Department of
