By Amina Mustapha
Human survival and economic development are vitally tied to agriculture. Agriculture provides food, fiber, and other essential products with women essentially the backbone especially in rural Nigeria through subsistence farming.
They make significant contributions to crop production, livestock management, fisheries, and forestry. Further to these, women also play a critical role in the household and community, providing food, water, and fuel, and caring for children, the elderly, and the sick. However, their essential role in agriculture, women face numerous challenges that limit their productivity and ability to participate fully in agricultural development.
In many villages and rural areas, women work hard on farms every day. Though women do so much, they often don’t have the same chances as men. Many don’t own land, get farming tools, or attend training programs. This makes it harder for them to improve their work. There is the urgency to address the lack of women owning big farms, address gender inequality and poor empowerment, access to education and innovation, and critically finance.
Owing to the fact that women play a critical role in the global food supply chain, their own big farms powered by technology and innovation will boost food security.
When this is achieved, the challenges of unequal pay, limited access to education and training, little land tenure, and discrimination will be addressed.
Promoting gender equity and empowerment of women in agriculture is critical for achieving sustainable development and food security. Empowerment involves increasing women’s access to resources such as land, water, and seeds, and providing them with education and training.
Besides gender equity and empowerment is giving women in agriculture leadership role. Often than not, women are relegated to the background and without having their inputs and allowed to lead, it becomes a top to bottom approach rather than understanding what women really need to help address gender inequality, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and increase productivity and income.
One key aspect is access to education as it is a key factor in improving women’s productivity and economic status in agriculture. However, many women in rural areas do not have access to quality education due to cultural, social, and economic barriers. Providing education and training in agricultural practices, financial management, and entrepreneurship can help women increase their productivity, income, and leadership skills.
It is expedient that helping women farmers is not only fair—it helps everyone.
Amina Mustapha is a 300-level student of Mass Communication Department, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State.
