Dr. Donal Brown, Associate Vice President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), stressed the importance of empowering women in agricultural decision-making.
He disclosed this during the FGN-IFAD Cooperation Open House and Exhibition Fair on Tuesday in Abuja.
Highlighting IFAD’s focus on women’s empowerment and transforming lives, Dr. Brown emphasized the critical role women play as primary producers in the agricultural sector. He explained that women’s involvement in household decision-making impacts food security and agricultural transformation.
“In IFAD, one of our key priorities is empowering women and transforming lives.
“In the space of food production and food security, women are crucially important. In many countries, they are the ones who produce the food,” he added.
He further emphasized the role of women in household decision-making, stating, “Women are usually a key part of the household involved in all the decision-making processes that ensure proper nutrition for the family. So, women are at the center of food security and transformation, and they need to be recognized and empowered in that context.
“I fully believe that if a woman’s voice is properly heard in decision-making, as a partner, we would achieve better decisions and outcomes.”
Speaking further, Dr. Brown expressed his support for International Women’s Day, underlining the need to empower women to participate in projects within the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
He underscored that empowering women is essential for driving sustainable development and achieving food security goals.
“I am very pleased to be here to support not only International Women’s Day but also IFAD’s focus on women playing a leading role and being part of decision-making within our projects,” he said.
