Women farmers under the auspices of Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) on Tuesday, significantly returned their hoes to the museum to pave way for mechanized farming.
The women farmers while returning their hoes to the museum at Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Art and Culture in Abuja, said they were tired of using the hoes on their farms.
Leading the women, the National President of SWOFON, Mrs Mary Afan said the use of hoe in the farm is no longer productive and sustainable.
She said the number of those who depend on Nigerian farmers for food has increased, hence the need to mechanise the farms has become imperative.
“In the history of women farmers, this day stands significant for us that we have been planning to see this day to significantly retire the hoes to the museum.
“In farming, we have noticed that this hoe is what we are using to feed the nation, the population is increasing and we can no longer use this hoe to feed the nation.
“So, what we have come to do today is to retire these hoes to the museum knowing fully well that this is a place where artefacts are kept so that our children, grandchildren, the generation unborn will come and see it and know that this is what their parents were using to produce food,” she said.
Mrs Afan urged the government to as a matter of urgency, provide the women with mechanized farm implements as they have dropped their hoes so that they can return to their farms.
“In that respect, we want to talk to our government, since we are the ones feeding the nation, we are retiring the hoes to the museum today, by tomorrow, we want mechanized implements.
“We suffer and sweat in the farm before we can produce a small portion of land per day, and with that, we feed ourselves and feed the nation.
“So, we want the government to give us women-friendly equipment that will save our energy and time we spend on the farm.
“We no longer want to see these hoes in the hands of women. It makes us suffer, it makes us grow old, it makes us have a low yield in our farms,” she added.
Receiving the women farmers, the Director Gender at the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA), Dr Agnes Hart said it is the duty of the government to provide enabling environment for farmers to strive.
“You have come a long way, you have laboured and it is time to move forward, and in moving forward, technology has made it easy for us, it is for us as a government to create enabling environment for you to strive,” she said.
She said the enabling environment includes the provision of fertilizer, machines for the women farmers to use in their farms.
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