Food security: Women ask Government for farmers' safety

* stop funding irrelevant projects 

In response to the unstoppable soaring food prices in the country, the Small Scale Women Farmers Association of Nigeria ( SWOFON) has urged the Government to stop funding irrelevant agricultural projects, but advised on total ensuring peaceful communities that can protect farmers into more farmings.

President Fatima Bello Gumi emphasized the urgent need to address the severe impact of the cost of food production in view of subsidy removal on oil in the country.

Women agric president stated this last Friday at a press conference held in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria in Abuja.

Mrs Bello Gunmi said her association's survey has identified challenges faced by women farmers as including increased transport expenses, high cost of Agricultural inputs and insecurity impeding access to people' farm lands.

 She added that the yearly inflation has negatively impacted on agricultural produce saying there have been no palliative given by government to any of her association members.

Gumi said that “the impact of the current economic hardship and food crisis plus inflation on small scale women farmers in Nigeria butressed the prediction of NBS about food inflation early this year.

 She said further that " The present high cost of living due to removal of oil subsidies has resulted in an increased transportation expenses for both farm produce and inputs, thereby causing a decline in the food productivity of the small woman farmers in Nigeria. The rising costs of feed and medication for livestock have severely affected small scale women farmers, threatening our ability to sustain our livestock farming operations as no palliative was given to any member of the Association to cushion the effect of present economic hardship"

Udeh Nkemdilim Virginia, from the SWOFON National Office, stressed the deteriorating livelihoods of small-scale women farmers and the urgent need for support in accessing quality inputs, agricultural credit, and gender-sensitive approaches to climate change adaptation.

Virginia urged the government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity affecting farmers' access to their lands, pointing the need for affordable transportation , access to low-interest credit, and facilitating land ownership for smallholder farmers cooperatives.