Kwara Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Oluwakemi Afolashade, has reiterated the state government’s support for Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) to ensure food sufficiency.
Afolashade made the pledge on Friday in Ilorin while receiving the new SWOFON executives on a familiarisation visit.
She said the state government has always been supporting farmers in the state and the women would always be given much preference.
The commissioner added that women were not supposed to be involved in hard work, but the economic situation demanded that they farm too, they have to be given all necessary support.
” We will always ensure that all that is due to women farmers in the state gets to them.
”And as the federal government is encouraging that more people especially those involved in farming are adequately empowered.
”We will liaise with the federal government to get something tangible and remarkable for our women,” she said.
The Director of Women Development, Hajiya Medinat Idris said the ministry has always been in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture in carrying women along in farming programmes.
She said the ministry always monitored and followed up on the Ministry of Agriculture’s activities for women, so that whatever support meant for them got to the women farmers and not those that would sell them.
SWOFON Coordinator, Mrs Elizabeth Ndako, said the purpose of the visit was to introduce the new executive members and seek support from the ministry for women farmers and not political farmers.
Mr Abdurrahman Ayuba, Executive Director, Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE) said the Centre formed SWOFON to give voice to women farmers in Nigeria.
He said CCEPE has bias for women in all sectors and support different women groups in terms of formation and sustainability.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SWOFON is a coalition of many Women Farmers Associations and groups across the 36 states of Nigeria.
The network has the goal of advocating for and supporting women farmers, especially those in rural areas to demand for their rights and privileges from the duty bearers.
It also serves as visible pressure group on behalf of small holder women farmers in Nigeria.
SWOFON Kwara has members across the 16 local government areas of the state. (NAN).
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