Oxfam Nigeria has said that it is currently working with financial institutions to mainstream women into the formal banking system, thereby increasing financial inclusion for rural communities.
Oxfam said despite women’s crucial role, they face discrimination in the areas of access to credit facilities, land ownership for agriculture, access to farm inputs and many others.
Oxfam said this during the Food Hero Award 2022 (Ogbonge Women) which is part of the activities to mark this year’s World Food Day, organized in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and with close collaboration with other Civil Society Organizations,
The representative of Country Director of Oxfam, Ifunfun Akinduro said the principal objective of the scheme is to recognise women Small Scale Farmers who are demonstrating outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and best practice despite the numerous challenges they face – such as climate change impacts, lack of access to land, market, inputs, and extension among several others.
She said Oxfam started this initiative in 2012 to encourage entrepreneurial spirit among small scale farmers in Nigeria as an approach to improving their livelihood through the formal recognition of such efforts.
She regretted that despite women’s crucial role, they face discrimination and have limited bargaining power.
“Patriarchal norms create disadvantages for women farmers and wage workers, specifically in terms of land rights (small plots, difficulties attaining ownership, discriminatory inheritance rights); productive resources (no access to credit, extension services or inputs); insecure and precarious employment; low or non-existent wages (as unpaid family workers in farm production); unpaid care work; and exclusion from decision making and political representation.
“Within the household, because of women’s weaker bargaining position, they frequently eat least, last, and least well”, she noted.
She further noted that though there has been progress to ensure women’s contributions to agriculture and food security are recognized which often comes in the form of projects and activities that are gender sensitive.
“For example, Oxfam and its partners adopts the Gender Action Learning Methodology to promote Inclusive decision-making in households that has translated into more harmonious and violence-free gender relations.
“Our village savings and loans initiative has reached over 189, 000 women out of 250, 000
participants across 8 states in the country. It will interest you to note that these VSLA
members have contributed over 3.8billion naira this year alone with the women
contributing over 2.9 billion”.
The Oxfam Country Director said this has increased their access to credit and enabled them to expand their livelihood activities and increase income.
“We have started working with financial institutions to mainstream these members into the formal banking system thereby increasing financial inclusion for rural communities”, she noted.
She said that women’s economic empowerment in agriculture must be made a priority, by supporting agricultural transformation that creates an enabling environment for women to exercise their rights.
“There is a need to significantly increase the quantity and quality of public and and
support to focus on women smallholders”, she added.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe said the Food Heroes Award is an event that identifies women food producers who are playing leading roles in agricultural development, helping to end world hunger and increasing food security.
“Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have estimated that massive and qualitative investment in agriculture in Africa will be 11 times more effective at reducing poverty than growth in other sectors.
“Investment in small-scale agriculture with a particular focus on rural women and provision of simple farm implements to avoid drudgery is the most effective way of increasing small-scale farm incomes, reducing rural poverty and building a nation’s food resilience against shockers like Covid- 19 and climate change”, he noted.
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