Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Re: Consultation for the development of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition

Firstly, the language should be reviewed to include women farmers as against women underrepresentation in decision making.

Women and women led organization are just gaining recognition in Nigeria but more needs to be done to ensure inclusion of women in decision making. Also, there should be finance specifically for women farmers and women-led organization to support specifically to support women in farming.

In my personal experience, my mother owned a large farm, but there was NEVER any form of support and encouragement to support her to produce more, but when its time to sell, buyers are more than happy to reach out to her to buy the commodity. 

Farming and agriculture is more about business and profit than it is for nutrition, hence it is mostly not perceived as needing support from people and organization for the overall good of the society.

Women also face threat especially in parts of Nigeria where insecurity persists and women are more vulnerable to threat of kidnap, and to gender based violence. Men and boys in parts of this region congregate for farming, and women in some cases play supportive roles, of planting, cooking and harvesting. This also increases the vulnerability of women especially in very isolated and remote farming communities or lands, where a call for help may be ignored or not heard.

Here are some recommendations:

  • Advocate for increased inclusion of women in decision making, programmes should be designed bottom up not top bottom which seems to be the order of the day.
  • Increase local capacity of women, from compulsory primary and secondary education, to vocational education on farming and agricultural production and the value chain.
  • Encourage more women participation in traditional and cultural decision making, urging traditional and religious leaders to open up the spaces for women in decision making.
  • Promote financial literacy specifically for women farmers.
  • Support and set aside specific funds and financial and technical assistance to women farmers. 
  • Forge greater collaboration with security agencies and social service providers to promote and support women farmers.