By Ahmed Ahmed
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, on Monday, expressed his concern over huge gender disparities in Agriculture in the Country.
Kyari gave the Lamentations at the one-day done-day hop on strategies to achieve the fallout of the debriefing by the Honourable of Women Affairs on the outcome of the 67th UNCSW March 2023 New York for women farmers from 19 Northern States in Kano.
The Minister said huge gender disparities abound in the Agricultural sector as Smallholder farmers are predominantly women, women and are the gatekeepers of food security.
“However, they have limited access to Agricultural inputs such as land, funds extension services, fertilizer information, fertilizer, seeds and voice among others. He said.
Kyari, represented by State the Director of the Ministry in Kano, Mallam Isa Hotoro said the workshop should be seen as the Ministry is committed to mainstreaming gender in Agriculture.
“Through the instrumentality of the National Gender Policy on Agriculture with the 11 objectives.
“The FG have political will driven by the President Bola Tinubu in his ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda that I also see that hope and commitment in him when he declared the food emergency in the country,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwu, Deputy Director Head of Gender, Unit Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the aimeaimthe workshop to Casis cade the outcome of 76th 67th UNCSW March 2023 New York
“The outcome of the Commission’s consideration of the priority theme during its 67th session took the form of agreed conclusions, negotiated by all Member States.
“The Commission on the Status of Women adopted agreed conclusions on “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls” on 17 March 2023,”
In her presentation, she harps on the need to mainstream gender in Agriculture and encourage tackling food Security in the country.
“Gender mainstreaming strategies, incorporating both genders integrate into existing ‘universal’ (or all-inclusive) policies and programmes, and gender-targeted or focused work to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment within specific sectors such as Agriculture,” she said.
Anyanwu urged the participants to step down the knowledge of women farmers in their states.
A participant at the workshop, Mrs Yagana Abba Gumsu, S S A to Governor Baba gana Zulum on Women Affairs expressed her appreciation to the Ministry and the Minister for considering women farmers’ plight in food Security.
She said the training would go a long way to boost women Farmer’s knowledge on farming and gender mainstreaming.
Another participant Hajiya Rabi Ibrahim, Kano State Coordinator Association of Women in Trade Agriculture (AWITA) commended the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the empowerment.
She said the knowledge acquired during the workshop would escape her members in Kano state, saying knowledge sharing is key in ending the food crisis in the country.