FAIN HOLDS NATIONAL SUMMIT, ADVOCATES WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN AGRICULTURE.
The bid for active Women participation and involvement in the Nation’s Agricultural sector towards ensuring food Security and self economic Empowerment took Centre Stage as the Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria (FAIN) held a one day National Summit to discuss how to co-opt the Women folk and the Nation’s Youth for Massive participation in agriculture.
The one day Summit, with the theme, “Mainstreaming Gender into the Agricultural sector for Women and youth Empowerment: Developing Road map for understanding of Gender policy on Agriculture and export Trade in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The Summit which took place at the Nigeria National Merit House, Maitama Abuja, attracted participants from all walks of live, including critical stakeholders from the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Cooperation (NAIC) National Agency for food and Drug Administration Commission (NAFDAC) The Raw Materials Research and Development Agency (RMRDA) and other Sisters Agencies, even Chief Executives of some private organizations and Non- Governmental Organizations were not left out of the attendees who participated in the high powered Summit.
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In his opening remarks, the Executive Director, Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria (FAIN) Mrs Cornelius Eneojo Agenyi pointed out that, acknowledging the role Agriculture plays in the development of the economics of nations around the World, aside ensuring food Security, their was a compelling need for Nigerian Women to participate actively Considering their population, but regrettably, a lot of barriers seems to have limited their participation which invariably has affected the Sector generally in Nigeria.
He stressed that lack of access to finance, land, Agricultural equipments and other Sociocultural factors has hindered women’s participation.
The Executive Director further noted that Mainstreaming Gender into the Nation’s Agricultural Sector was key to surmounting challenges of food insecurity and youth unemployment in the Country, buttressing that women as managers of the home, if mobilised, encouraged and supported with the necessary resources, the problem of food insecurity and unemployment would be a thing of the past.
According to him, Mainstreaming Gender into the Nation’s Agricultural sector wasn’t just a call for social justice, equality and fairness, but the key to unlocking the potentials of the possibilities embedded in the Agricultural Sector of the Nation, stressing that, empowering women for active participation in the sector would brings about new opportunities, innovation and sustainability.
Professor Charity Ebetta of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, the key note Speaker,said research has shown that there exist a gap between the male and female gender in terms of participation in Agricultural activities in Nigeria, and that women’s lack of access to land, resources and most importantly, noinclusion in the decision making process of the Nation’s Agricultural sector has impeded their participation.
Prof. Ebetta further asserted that, the way forward was to bridge the gap that hitherto existed , by Co-opting the women group in the decision making process of Agricultural policies ,so that there voice could be heard and also counts.
Also Speaking, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) who was represented by Maryam Yau, in her Goodwill Message, applauded the Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria ( FAIN) for identifying areas in which Women participation was lacking or low,saying that the Summit has also brought the attention of the Agency to the Genda disparity in the Agricultural sector of the nation, assuring that henceforth, the interventions of the Agency in response to emergencies would ensure that women are encouraged to booast their participation in the Nation’s Agricultural sector.
Earlier, in her address, the Secretary general of the Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria, Chief Mrs Mudupe Jemibewon Commended participants for keying in to the noble idea of the organization, urging them to mobilize their resources for active participation as the organization has already initiated moves to provide access to funding and also ensure that their opinion and voices counts in the Nation’s Agricultural policies.
Chief Mrs Jemibewon further pointed out that it is a truism that Agricultural activities requires energy, notwithstanding,energy is not all about masculinity she argued, asserting that it comprised of the participation of the masses across all segment of the Society.
In her Goodwill Message, the assistant Secretary of the National Council of Women Society, (NCWS) Princess Edna Azura hailed the Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria for it efforts in bringing the attention of critical Stakeholders of the Nation’s Agricultural sector to the neglect and injustice melted out to Nigerian Women, while describing the Summit as apt and timely, she also pointed out that the Summit of it kind was needed periodically to awaken the consciousness of women to make demands in areas in which their interest was not protected.
She further noted that, the Seventeenth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals- SDG, which emphasized on partnership and Collaborations with other Organizations both private and public, underlined their participation in the Summit, and that the National Council for Women Society of Nigeria was ready to propagate the message of the organization for a robust Agricultural sector that would guarantee food Security in Nigeria.
Princess Azura attributed the Challenges of food insecurity and low participation of Women in the Nation’s Agricultural sector to insecurity, ranging from terrorism, banditry, Kidnapping for ransom and the activities of marauding herdsman, Particularly in the North central geopolitical Zone, stressing that even the few who had the courage to take the risk going to farm, couldn’t endure for their Crop to mature properly before harvesting, pointing out that such reality poised great threats to such farm produce as it might not fit for storage and preservation, all these according to her also contributed to the Challenges of food insecurity currently faced in the Country.
The Board of trustees Chairman of the Farmers Aggregators Initiative of Nigeria, Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (rtd) in a message he delivered at the Summit through the National Secretary, Chief Mrs Mudupe Jemibewon, hailed participants and assured them of the Organization’s unwavering Commitments towards integrating the Women and youth into the Nation’s Agricultural sector.
The Summit according to our Correspondent was a huge success, as it attracted Participants from both the Public and private sector, with all Commending the Director General Mr Cornelius Eneojo Agenyi for painstakingly identifying areas in which women and youth participation were absent or inadequate even as they promised to serve as vanguard for the propagation of the ideas of the Organization, others also pledged their Continues partnership with the Organization for shared prosperity and for the betterment of Nigeria.
