The wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, has called for improved investment and support for women farmers
Mrs Abiodun said that such conscious and deliberate efforts from both the governments and other stakeholders would go a long way in achieving Sustainable Development Goals of eradicating poverty, boosting food production while also achieving zero hunger.
The governor’s wife lamented that despite the fact that women account for about 70 per cent of farmers in the country, they are still very poor and have no access to funding unlike their male counterparts.
Abiodun made this disclosure while speaking at a two-day Agritech Empowerment Training Programme for over 150 women in agriculture held at City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
The agritech training was put together by the founder of Adeola Azeez Community Care Foundation, Mrs Adeola Azeez.
The Ogun first lady explained that “while women play a dominant role in most value chains, the financial gains of women in these sectors is still much less than men.
“This is primarily because while women make up a larger percent of the labour force in agriculture, they are less likely to be the one paid for production, especially amongst small holder farmers.
“They are also less likely to get access to finance even though studies show that investment in women in agriculture has higher likelihood of success, higher impact and returns and if given as a loan, there is a higher repayment rate.
“These are all in addition to the fact that investments in women are also more likely to be paid forward to other women as we see today with the support of Mrs Adeola Azeez. So we all must use every opportunity to invest in women for meaningful gains in the agricultural sector.”
While lauding Adeola for putting up the training, Abiodun said that the roles of technology in agriculture in changing the fortunes of the women farmers could not be overemphasised.
This is because technology helps to enhance productivity, reduce waste, and mitigate the environmental impact of farming practices and thereby help to achieve food security for the country while also supporting global effort to combat climate change.
Abiodun explained that the vision of the foundation resonated with the various programme put in place by the present administration in the state to support women in agriculture with technology as an aid.
She revealed that under this technology driven agricultural programmes, over 50,000 farmers had been provided with grants for mechanisation services, extension support, needed inputs and infrastructure support such as irrigation where needed and a high quota for inclusion of women.
Abiodun said “as the First Lady of Ogun State, I am committed to extending some of our own programs impacting women in agriculture to partner with AACCF to reach more women.
“Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of women in our communities, empowering them to be more productive, financially independent, and successful in agriculture”
Commending Azeez for her selflessness and committed interest in uplifting the women, Abiodun urged all stakeholders to continue supporting initiatives like agritech as they play a vital role in empowering women in agriculture and driving sustainable development in our communities.
Welcoming the participants to the agritech training, the CEO of the foundation, Azeez said that the training was put together to commemorate this year International Women’s Day.
She explained that she had always used the annual occasion to celebrate women in each sector of the economy
Azeez said that her focus however this year is to empower women farmers through training on various technology that they could be deploy to improve their socio-economic fortunes in agriculture and boost food production.
She has however demanded that government and other stakeholders should set up interventions that would help women farmers conquer the challenges of lack of access to funding, global market, land, machineries and other farming inputs which are having adverse effects upon their farming enterprise
Azeez said, “We are gathered today to celebrate our women’s efforts in promoting a better society through agriculture and food production.
“We are gathered to collectively empower the women in agriculture through the transformative power of technology.
“We are also gathered to provide training and education to promote the efficiency and productivity of women in agribusiness.
“Lastly, we are here today to invite all stakeholders and the government to set up interventions that address the concerns and needs of women in agriculture such as access to funding, access to land, access to machinery, access to agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, feeds and access to global and local markets”.
“We want to encourage all stakeholders to address those traditional norms that exclude women from access to vital agricultural resources, especially land.
“If all these accesses were available to women, We would have succeeded in investing in women in agriculture in Ogun state and nationwide, thereby accelerating their growth”.
Azeez particularly thanked Wema Bank and other partners for supporting the foundation to achieve its dreams of uplifting the women.
Mrs Yetunde Ajibise, one of the beneficiaries of the training lauded the initiative.
Ajibise, who is into pepper and vegetables farming said “the truth is that this is the kind of support that we need because nobody can de-emphasise the impact of deploying technology to improve productivity and earnings in agricultural enterprise.
“The participants are all grateful to Mrs Adeola Azeez and we hope others will take a cue from her favourable disposition to empowering the women folk.”
Other dignitaries at the event were the Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Dr Bolu Owotomo; Dr Special Adviser to Gov Dapo Abiodun on Agriculture, Mrs Adelaja Kuye; and pharmacist Kudi Ligali among others.
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