The Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progress (NWAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu and members of his cabinet to include rural women as beneficiaries of agriculture interventions for farmers in Nigeria.
Omolara Svensson, National Coordinator of the association, made this call while speaking at a press briefing held in Abuja on Wednesday.
She expressed dissatisfaction over the neglect by the federal government in providing agricultural interventions to women farmers. Svensson highlighted that most agricultural interventions were directed towards urban farmers, even though they carried out minimal farming activities compared to farmers in rural areas.
“We appreciate all that you do, but we want to ask, all the while that agricultural interventions were given, our food output decreased, however, agricultural intervention to farmers increased. The reason is that the real women farmers are not carried along. Rather, those that you carry along are farmers on paper, not real women farmers who cultivate the crops in their various rural communities. There is a disconnect between the real women farmers and the government,” she said.
According to her, the production of agricultural produce has been on the decline despite the increase in agriculture interventions from the government. She emphasized the need for the government to work directly with real farmers without frequent intermediaries.
“We are using this medium to appeal to the President and the Federal Government to work directly with women farmers without intermediaries.”
Svensson further emphasized the importance of solidarity among women farmers, urging them to maintain unity as they demand interventions from the government. She reiterated the association’s commitment to supporting the government in their efforts to improve the agricultural sector.