PRESS RELEASE- FG, STAKEHOLDERS, STRATEGIZES TO STREAMLINE GENDER IN FOOD SECURITY.

 The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has strategized to streamline the implementation of the  eleven objectives of the  National Gender Policy on Agriculture to reduce the vulnerabilities of women.

The Policy would enhance food security ,chatting a road map on roles, responsibilities of the stakeholders and time lines for the implementation of the programme.

 

The Permanent Secretary Dr. Ernest A. Umakhihe while declaring the workshop open today, Wednesday, 7th July 2021, at Gracepoint Resort Hotel in Wuse Zone 6 Abuja, noted that the policy legal frame work was based on the recommendations of the National Gender Policy under the supervision of Ministry of Women Affairs, Protocols and Treaties signed by the Federal Government on Gender mainstreaming and the 1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended.

 

The Permanent Secretary informed that "the policy is consistent with the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by World Leaders at the United Nations Summit in New York, in September, 2015, which underscores the vital role agriculture plays in sustainable development and its importance in achieving the Sustainable  Development Goals (SDGs)".

 

According to him “gender mainstreaming is “Smart Economic" and a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable human development. He therefore assured that the Ministry and its agencies are committed to the socio- economic empowerment of women and girls in the sector.

 

Umakhihe acknowledged that, Seventy -five Percent of the world's poor (women) live in the rural areas and are involved in farming, who mostly depend directly on Agriculture for livelihoods , adding that in many parts of the world including Nigeria, women are the main producers of food but have limited access to farm inputs as there are huge gender disparities in the agriculture sector. He noted that failure to address these gender gaps in roles, differences and inequalities between men and women pose a serious threat to the effectiveness of the agriculture development agenda.

 

The Permanent Secretary said that the  present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has repositioned agriculture as a business with return on investment as a Mantra-agriculture as an alternative to oil hence, gender mainstreaming in agriculture remains fundamental to economic growth and  poverty reduction.

 

In his Goodwill message, Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture Production and Services, Hon. Dandutse Muntari, stated that the main targets of the policy are to ensure that women and men have equal access and control resources and assured that the legislature will increase gender budgetary allocation in this year budget to ensure gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the policy.

 

He also said that in Africa, women are always at the receiving end and that if women are properly engaged in Agriculture, Nigerians will be more productive.

 

In her welcome address, Director, Special Duties in the Ministry, Mrs Fausat Lawal, stated that the workshop “should be seen as a demonstration of the Ministry's readiness to mainstream gender in agriculture through the instrumentality of policy document with the roles and responsibilities assigned to stakeholders. She added that the ministry will be grateful if the assigned roles and responsibilities will be translated to positive outcomes for the empowerment of the vulnerable group in the society-woman and children.

 

She also said that "there are huge gender disparities in the agricultural sector as small holder farmers who are predominantly women have limited access to inputs. She said , “it is important to note that small holder famers are the gate keepers of food security and are feeding the Nation even when they have limited access to agricultural input such as land, funds, extension services, information, fertilizer and seeds".

 

In her presentation, Assistant Director and  Head, Gender in the Ministry, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwu highlighted the eleven objectives of the National Gender Policy framework and targets which includes; Mainstreaming Gender into Climate, Improve cultural practices that hinders women from access to inputs ( land, finance fertilizer and other agricultural assets) and Gender Based violence, conflict prevention and resolution through advocacy, lobbying, mentorship and shared responsibility, Training of women and youth in commercial agriculture through processing/value chain development And others.

 

Stakeholders at the event including; the UN Women in Nigeria, Action Aid, the Albino Foundation, and Small Scale Women Farmers etc, lauded the National Gender policy on Agriculture and assured their unalloyed support in the implementation of the policy.