Food Security: She-farmers To Empower 20,000 Female Farmers

Food insecurity has become an issue in Nigeria and across the continent.

To this end, A Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), She-Farmers Initiative Nigeria, is to empower over 20,000 female farmers to address food insecurity.

At the launch of the initiative in Abuja, the President, Mrs. Kudirat Ande, said the intervention was targeted at empowering African women in agriculture.

Inaugurating the She-farmers’ Advisory Board and members of the Executives for the FCT, Ande, who was represented by the Vice-President 1, Samera Abdullahi, urged them to work towards creating an enabling environment for women farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs.

According to the Coordinator, North Central, Hajiya Ladi Sulaiman,the essence of launching the Initiative in the FCT is to mobilize women to develop their potential in Agro -businesses toward attaining self sufficiency.

Hajiya Suleiman who appealed to the government to support the NGO to enable them bring more women at the grassroots on board, added that the women would also be trained on producing organic products.

“With the declaration of emergency on food insecurity, we are calling on the government to look at She-farmers as a veritable platform, and bring us on board to be part of the system, in order to get to the grassroots women.

“There are a lot of technology that are coming up that women at the grass roots need, and we want to use technology to improve farming in the society.The platform will train women farmers on cultivation of home gardens to ensure that households eat purely organic food”.

Also, one of the Advisory Board members, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, stressed the need for greater collaboration and advocacy on improving the participation of women in agriculture, which would ensure improved value chain and food security.

On his part, the National Patron of the group, Alhaji Aminu Pai, said the FCT chapter of She-farmers initiative will raise awareness amongst the women folk especially at the grassroots in the territory.

In his goodwill message, Onah of Abaji and Chairman, FCT Council of Traditional Rulers, Adamu Baba Yunusa, lauded the initiative and pledged the full support of the traditional council.

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji