By Omotayo Edubi
International Centre for Environmental Health and Development (ICEHD) has distributed 100 bags of 50kg fertiliser of 100 knapsack sprayers, 100 sprinklers and100 irrigation system to rural women farmers.
Dr Ndudi Bowei, partner to ICEHD and Country Manager, Rose of Sharon Foundation distributed the farm implement and aids at the National Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Consultative Forum and media dialogue and Climate-Smart Agricultural Capacity Building for Women Farmers on Thursday in Abuja.
The forum organised by ICEHD is an offshoot of a two-year Climate Justice and Economic Resilience Project for Rural Women Farmers in Nigeria, one of the centres funded by the African Women Development Fund.
The 100 beneficiaries were selected from six geopolitical zones of the country including 35 widows who received 100 pesticides and herbicides for improved agricultural production, enable food and nutrition security and sustainable income.
Bowei said that the project was to boost number of rural women farmers leaders skilled in climate-start agriculture and innovative farming technology and equipped with tools for increased crop production.
She added that the project would also improve food security, access to market, improved agriculture financing in 2022 among others.
According to her, “what we are trying to do is for women farmers to be able to address climate change problems through training and capacity building, access to resources and ownership of land and having funding for their agricultural activities.
“We are aware of problem of gender inequality even in agriculture, in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
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“Men have more access to training, education to know how to adapt to climate change problems than women.
“In Africa especially in Nigeria 80 per cent of agricultural activities are in the hands of women yet they have less than 20 per cent of benefits from agriculture which is one of the things we are trying to address.’’
She frowned at the gender impacts of climate change on crop production, food security, access to markets, sustainable income and health implications.
She, however, called for `climate justice’ for women through fair approaches with regard to the environment, weather conditions among others in the country.
Bowei called for the development and implementation of policies, laws and initiatives that support gender-responsive approaches to `climate justice’ and agricultural initiatives and ensuring women participation at all levels in programmes and policies.
“These approaches must incorporate multi-stakeholders partnership or gender mainstreaming, equal access to training, services, land rights, economic opportunities, long term adaptation learning and agricultural financing for all rural women farmers.
“There should be equal access to resources, mainstreaming gender into agricultural budgeting and financing.
“Climate Justice is about having approaches that are fair in terms of the environment, weather conditions in Nigeria.
“Climate Change is change in weather condition which is affecting agricultural activities but women are the brunt of the challenges and problem.’’
She added: “let there be climate justice, fairness in policies and initiatives that will promote agriculture at the same per for men and women.”
