By AKOR SYLVESTER- Abuja
In an effort to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit among small-scale farmers in Nigeria as an approach to improving their
livelihood through the formal recognition of such efforts, Oxfam Nigeria has honoured not less than 15 women with the Female Food Hero (FFH) award.
The women who were also called Ogbonge women were finalists of the Food Hero award, selected from different states of the federation.
Presenting the award to the winners in Abuja at the weekend, the Country Director of Oxfam Nigeria, Dr Vincent Ahonsi said the initiative was to recognise women Small Scale Farmers who are demonstrating outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and best practice despite the numerous challenges they face, such as climate change impacts, lack of access to land, market, inputs, and extension among several others.
He said the effort was also aimed at improving livelihoods, building leadership qualities, empowerment and raising the profile of small-scale farmers’ especially female farmers.
The Oxfam country Director who was represented at the even by the Director of Finance and Administration, Akinduro Ifunfun, believed that there can be no food justice without gender justice, adding that, “contrary to the view that farming is a ‘male’ activity, carried out while women take care of the family, the reality is that women play multiple roles in food security – not only as food producers, farmers, and wage workers, but also as natural resource managers,
food processors and traders, while also taking responsibility for household food
preparation, consumption, and nutrition, as well as water supplies”.
He maintained that, ” despite women’s crucial role, they face discrimination and have limited bargaining power. Patriarchal norms create disadvantages for women farmers and wage workers, specifically in terms of land rights (small plots, difficulties attaining ownership, discriminatory inheritance rights); productive resources (no access to credit, extension services or inputs); insecure and precarious employment; low or
non-existent wages (as unpaid family workers in farm production); unpaid care work; and exclusion from decision making and political representation.
“Within the household, because of women’s weaker bargaining position, they frequently eat least, last and least well”,.
According to him, though there has been progress to ensure women’s contributions to agriculture and
food security are recognized which often comes in the form of projects and activities that are gender sensitive.
“For example, Oxfam and its partners adopts the Gender
Action Learning Methodology to promote Inclusive decision-making in households that has translated into more harmonious and violence-free gender relations”,.
Continuing, the oxfarm boss said the organisation’s village savings and loans initiative has reached over 189, 000 women out of 250, 000 participants across 8 states in the country.
“It will interest you to note that these VSLA
members have contributed over 3.8billion naira this year alone with the women contributing over 2.9 billion.
“This has increased their access to credit and enabled them to expand their livelihood activities and increase income.
“We have started
working with financial institutions to mainstream these members into the formal banking system thereby increasing financial inclusion for rural communities.
“The Ogbonge Women have also served as great ambassadors and representatives of millions of Nigerian Women at different fora. At the community level, past participants have mobilized other women to engage their traditional rulers on access to land.
“They have also represented the country at AU, ECOWAS and European Union meetings including engagements with the US Congress members to advocate for favorable policies that affect them.
“However, there is still a lot to be done by governments and private sector in terms of
concrete actions to ensure that the rights and interests of women farmers and food and agricultural workers are prioritized and that they have the resources they need to improve their livelihoods, tackle food insecurity and build their communities’
resilience to climate change” he noted.
The Country Director said, Women’s economic empowerment in agriculture must be made a priority, by
supporting agricultural transformation that creates an enabling environment for
women to exercise their rights.
He said there is a need to significantly increase the quantity and quality of public support to focus on women smallholders.
The country Director stated that policies must be enacted that facilitate women’s access to inputs, resources, and services, including land rights.
“Today we celebrate and recognize the contribution of these great to their households, communities, and the food security of Nigeria.
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