FG trains women farmers on climate change adaptation strategy

The Federal Government on Monday commenced a capacity building program for women in agriculture, stating that Nigeria’s agriculture is most vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts of climate change.

According to Mohammad Abubakar, Minister of Agriculture, climate change and its variability affects particularly women who constitute the most vulnerable among the farming communities.

He said, “Nigeria’s agriculture is most vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Indeed, it is rain-fed dependent. Any change in the weather pattern, in terms of the amount, intensity, duration, and the on-set duration affect farmers’ decisions on crops and inputs as well as other cultural operations in the value chain.

“This training ultimately would ensure commitment to gender mainstreaming at all levels of the agricultural sector, which is seen as a tool for achieving gender-based reforms and increasing productivity by men and women along all the value chains in the sector.

Representing the minister, Chris Iwuchukwu, Imo State director for agriculture, , noted that the exercise aligns with the government’s commitment to gender mainstreaming at all levels of the agricultural sector.

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He explained that the 2019 approved National Gender Policy thrust seeks to achieve gender based reforms that cut across all value chains of the agricultural sector.

“The policy thrust of the 2019 National Gender Policy is hinged on gender equity and equality for optimum productivity in the agricultural sector.

“The workshop is targeted, innovative and timely when viewed from the outcomes of the recent 2021 COP 26 climate change conference held in Glasgow , United Kingdom.

“Available statistics indicate that women constitute about 80 percent of the labour force involved in agricultural production, growing up to 80 percent of the food in Nigeria. Overall, they constitute about 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Yet, women farmers face various challenges and needs especially climate change and variability, access to information and technologies,” he stated.

While admonishing the participants to pay rapt attention during the training workshop, the Minister expressed optimism that the workshop will expose them to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies that would help to build and enhance their resilience to threats and impacts of climate in agricultural production.

In his remarks, Okorochukwu Barthy, commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Imo State, said that the essence of the mitigation and adaptation strategies workshop for women farmers is to ensure increase in food sufficiency which will in turn translate to food security and economic growth in the country.

He said that “To improve food sufficiency especially in the South -East, we must get more women farmers that will produce more food, climate change portends the need for mitigation and adaptation to ensure more farming seasons in a given year.”

Speaking further, the commissioner applauded the women for the crucial roles they play in food production, processing and marketing, urging them to learn the new strategies that will help develop their resilience to mitigate the climate change impact.