‘Rural women account for 80 percent of Nigeria’s food production’

Rural women accounts for 70 percent of agricultural labour, and 80 percent of food production in Nigeria, often through difficult circumstances says the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), which is formed in partnership with Chevron.

To this end, the PIND in collaboration with Cara Development Foundation and African Youth Development Foundation, will host over 120 rural women farmers in the Niger Delta to a town hall meeting on Tuesday March 6, to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

Themed ‘Time is Now: Transforming Lives of Rural Women in Small Businesses and Agriculture’, the outreach aims to showcase the contributions of these women farmers to the rural economy and draw attention to the constraints limiting them from maximizing the immense opportunities in their respective agricultural value chains.

The townhall outreach will hold in Mezie Umukabia Ogodo Community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Council, Imo State where the Aladinmma Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society made up of over 200 women cassava farmers supported by PIND and its partners operate. They will be joined by Multi-Purpose Cooperative farmers’ Association also from Mezie Umukabia Ogodo   and Eziorsu Palm Oil Farmers Association in Oguta.

The outreach will also have the media, government representatives,    legislators and agricultural service providers in attendance to engage with the women.

During the outreach, the rural women farmers will interact with the media, government, elected representatives and service providers to tell their stories and speak about their needs and concerns. The forum will provide a platform for the stakeholders present to appreciate the contributions of the women farmers and to collectively deliberate on how to improve support to the women.

About 40 percent of women in the Niger Delta are in agriculture and through this outreach awareness, PIND wants to shine the spotlight on these women and attract key stakeholders to take actions that will help to boost productivity and profits for them and grow their farming and small businesses.

PIND was established by Chevron in 2010 with a mission to build partnerships for peace and equitable economic development in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The objective of these partnerships is to reduce poverty and increase socio-economic benefits by implementing interventions that address the root causes of conflict and poverty in a localized and sustainable manner.

ISAAC ANYAOGU