Rural women plays essential role in Agricultural sector – Tallen.                             

CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU-Abuja.

Nigerians joined the world to celebrate this year’s International Day for Rural Women.

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs (HMWA ), Dame Pauline Tallen,OFR, KSG said that rural women play an essential role in the Agricultural sector.

The Minister made this remark in Kwali, Abuja on Saturday to commemorate the 2022 International Day for Rural Women with the theme Rural Women Cultivating Good Food For All”, stressing that the production and consumption of safe food have an immediate and long-term benefit to the people, planet and the economy.

Dame Tallen said that women play a vital role in the rural economy which involved crop production, Livestock care, food, water, fuel for their families, and carrying out other activities to diversify their family’s livelihoods.

She also sympathized with many of the rural women and their families whose lives and properties have been negatively affected by the raging flood, that has swept away most of the farming, communities destroying farmland, loss of live, crops and livestock worth millions of Naira. Not only impart on the rural women negatively, it also draws Nigeria back in its quest to attain food sufficiency.

She gave capacity building and empowerment programme to widows and indigenous women on soap making , beads making packaging and interior Designs with a start – up grants giving to more than 6,800 women in the three Geo political zones of the North West, North Central and South Eastern.                                                                       Dame Tallen said that the impact of Covid- 19 on food and nutrition recorded income losses, trade disruptions and increases food prices brought about by abrupt breaking in the food system.                                According to Minister, “the situation was further worsen as a result of insecurity due to the farmers and herdes clash, armed banditry, insecurity, child molestation, kidnapping and spike in sexual and gender Based Violence, violence communal conflict and natural disaster. It created supply shocks which continues to translate into high food prices and the average prices selected staple foods, both year -on- year and month -on -month”.

Tallen said the plight of the rural women should be protected and supported. She celebrated Nigeria women’s resilience and indeed everyday should be the rural women celebration and recognition who toil daily to ensure our national growth and development and for us to have food in our tables.                     The Minister commended the support from the UN women relief assistance/ palliative including food and hygi materials ( washable face masks, detergent, bathing soap, saniterzer etc were distributed to about 40,000 household/ vulnerable women and girls worst affected by the knock-on effect of the Covid-19 pandemic in the six – geo political zones.

Also World Bank supported women project which contributed to the promotion of diversified growth by enhancing livelihoods and increasing access to finance for women in six states to cover additional 29 States. they are Abia,, Akwa-Ibom, Kebbi, Niger, Ogun and Taraba States, through the established Women Affinity Groups, the project has disbursed over 67,358 women beneficiaries. It has also helped to facilitate improved access to finance by enabling the rural women meet their specific business needs, increase their productive assets and improve their quality of life, including their food, education and health as well as contribute to household expenditure in the long run.

Also, there was completion of the 1st and 2nd phase of Presidential National cooking Gas project/ Economic tree planting project in 21 States and FCT. The Landable project is to empower rural women and encourage them on the use of LPG Gas instead of firewood which has serious implication for health and to also discourage cutting of trees for firewood to combat climate change.

She said our economic service department and their only parastatal the National Center for Women Development have continued to provide alternative sources of livelihood and empowerment including ICT activities for rural women to ensure that the Federal Government Programme impact them  positively in the time spirit of leave no women out.

The Minister presented certificate of commendation to some women and  organisations like  National Development of Employment (NDE)Dr Roga Makinde Initiative ( DROMI), OXFAM, SEEED, Daughter of Late Maryam Babaginda and UN Women.

Lastly, Inspection and Exhibition were done by her