***Urges unfettered access to farm inputs, training, credit facilities
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
SMALL Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Kogi State chapter, has called on the government to renew its commitment to empowering Women Farmers by according them unfettered access to farm inputs, training, and credit facilities.
Hajia Rukayat Ahmed, Kogi State Coordinator of SWOFON made the call at the occasion of the 2024 World Food Day Celebration and Interactive Forum organized by the organisation on Wednesday in Lokoja.
The celebration was Organised by SWOFON in collaboration with Kogi State Budget Committee Group (BCG) and Ministry of Agriculture with support from ActionAid Nigeria.
She said that World Food Day event aimed to promote sustainable agriculture, combat hunger, and advocate for small holder farmers, particularly women adding that the theme for this year’s celebration, “Right to Food for a better life and better tomorrow” was particularly significant.
Ahmed said that the event called for collective action and advocacy for the millions of small-holder farmers, especially women, who work tirelessly to feed their families and communities and also nurture the future of our nation.
“It is essential that we recognize and empower women by providing them with access to resources, training, and financial support. When women farmers strive, entire communities flourish”, she said”, she said.
The SWOFON Coordinator expressed her gratitude to the Kogi State Government and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security for their continuous support towards empowering women in agriculture saying , “Your leadership and commitment are vital in driving the change we seek.”A
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojomah represented by Mr Kunle Agbana, Director, (Agric. Services) said that the state has always and would continue to prioritize food security by supporting farmers.
He said that the World Food Day celebration served as a reminder of the importance of collective action and advocacy for small-holder farmers, especially women.
Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, Chairperson, Kogi Non-Governmental Organizations Network (KONGONET) reiterated the need for states to meet the Maputo and Malabo Declarations of minimum of 10 per cent annual budgetary allocations to the Agriculture sector to ensure food security.
Muraina called for strategic planning to sustain production and ensure that the food chain is not broken because “if we eat what we have today and do not produce for tomorrow, there will be very weak hope of survival.”
In his submission, Dr Bello Ogirima George, Managing Director of Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) commended the women farmers across the country for taking the lead in agricultural production.
He said that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo being the son of a farmers and a farmer himself, was committed to advancing the cause of farmers because “He knows where the problems are and how to solve them.”
He however, called on all Nigerians to key into Agricultural production to ensure food sufficiency saying that whoever does not work should not eat as “Food is not the Fundamental Rights of anybody.”
There were goodwill messages from the Ministries of Women Affairs, Budget and planning, Kogi State House of Assembly standing Committee on Agriculture, and various Agriculture-related NGOs at the World Food Day celebration
Highlight of the occasion was the exhibition of variety farm produce from various regions of the three Senatorial Districts of the state. (Ends)