Don calls on govt to fund agricultural research, mainstream gender

A professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Professor Esther Omolabake Okunade has appealed to government at all levels to fund agricultural research and mainstream gender.

Professor Okunade made this known while delivering the 41st Inaugural Lecture of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology titled: “Synergy: Not Property: Way out to sustainable Agricultural Extension and Rural Development”.

She explained that governments could mainstream gender by building capacity of women farmers with small holdings, encourage their sustainability through subsidised inputs and credits and introduce new communication technologies for innovation.

She advocated the active participation of men and women in agriculture in order for the nation to experience absolute development in agriculture.

Okunade posited that development that is not engender would be endangered.

“Equal voices and recognition must be given to each of the genders as major stakeholders in the developmental process and implementation of programmes,” she said.

She emphasised that the African culture syndrome that has made the contribution of women to development especially in areas of agriculture unrecognised, portraying men as the only stakeholder in agriculture would keep the industry undeveloped.

Professor Okunade, recommended that women’s contribution to agricultural practices should be given recognition to encourage better future performance and usage of the stores potential in them to an advantage.

She maintained that synergy is the answer, if female gender is recognised and encouraged to work in concert with the male counterpart, even in agricultural practice.

She charged leaders to rise and come up with agricultural policies that would mainstream gender in order for all to display their potentials in building the Nigerian economy.

She charged the government to engender Nigerian agriculture and run away from endangering it.

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