Women farmers seek more grants From FG, States to boost food production

The Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) has called on the Federal and State Governments to provide more grants to farmers to boost food production and end hunger.

Hajiya Fatima Abdu, SWOFON Treasurer and a farmer in Bauchi, made the call in an interview on Friday in Bauchi. 

”Governments need to break the barriers that are holding back women farmers and preventing them from accessing critical farming inputs.

“They should ensure women have secured land rights and also provide women with vital funding and support for farming to adapt to climate change.

“Such support would protect twomen’s rights and boost productivity. It will also unleash the potential of hundreds of thousands of women farmers to effectively reduce poverty and hunger,” she said.

Abdu also urged governments to also encourage women to engage in  dry season farming through mechanization.

”Mechanisation is one of the few fields that can change not just the economic status but also the social status of women in rural communities, where gender stereotypes are often a challenge. 

“The inclusion of the gender and women empowerment dimension in  agricultural mechanization is a potential game changer. 

“It can open this industry to new customers, create new awareness and new possibilities of broadening occupations,” she said.

Specifically, Abdu, urged the government to closely monitor its various intervention programmes to ensure they were not hijacked by political farmers.