Oxfam calls for women-friendly policies in agriculture

Oxfam in Nigeria has called on the government to enact policies that would facilitate women’s access to inputs, resources and services, including land rights to boost women’s participation in agriculture.

The Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, Dr Vincent Ahonsi made the call at the Female Food Hero Award 2022 also tagged: “Ogbonge Women” organised in partnership with the Ministry in collaboration with other Civil Society Organisations.

Ahonsi represented by Mrs Ifunfun Akinduro, Director of Finance and Admin, Oxfam in Nigeria, said the organisation started the initiative in 2012 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.

The Female Food Heroes initiative is an annual award that identifies and champions women food producers who are examples of what millions of women around the world are doing to ensure food security.

The three women emerged as Female Food Heroes under Oxfam in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development initiative aimed at celebrating women food producers and their contributions to food security.

According to Ahonsi, the principal objective of the scheme is to also recognise women small-scale farmers who are demonstrating outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and best practices despite the numerous challenges they face.

“These challenges are climate change impacts, lack of access to land, market, inputs, and extension among several others.

“It is also aimed at improving livelihoods, building leadership qualities, empowerment and raising the profile of small-scale farmers, especially female farmers.

“Oxfam believes that there can be no food justice without gender justice, contrary to the view that farming is a ‘male’ activity, carried out while women take care of the family.’’

According to Ahonsi, 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.

He, however, said that despite women’s crucial role, they face discrimination and have limited bargaining power.

This, he said was because patriarchal norms create disadvantages for women farmers and wage workers, specifically in terms of land rights, small plots, difficulties attaining ownership and discriminatory inheritance rights among others.

He said Oxfam and its partners adopted the Gender Action Learning Methodology to promote Inclusive decision-making in households that have translated into more harmonious and violence-free gender relations.

Oxfam calls for women-friendly policies in agriculture