Diversification: Women farmers want African govts to implement Mabuto policy

Leaders of women farmers in Africa have urged governments across the continent to honuor the Mabuto declaration and commit 10 percent of their annual budget to agriculture, to ensure food security and economic growth of the continent.

They made the plea yesterday in Abuja at a three-day Rural Women Farmers Forum (RWFF), Leadership Capacity Building Training and 5th Annual ‘Continental’ Planning meeting organised by the ActionAid Nigeria (AAN).

The 2003 African Union (AU) Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security requires African countries to allocate at least 10 percent of their annual budgets to agriculture and achieve six percent annual GDP growth in the sector.

Though a Comprehensive signatory Africa to the Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), reached in Mabuto, Mozambique, Nigeria is committing less than two percent of its 2017 budget to agriculture.

The 1st Vice President of RWFF Mrs. Mary Afan, said many countries are yet to honour the Mabuto arrangement and that the negative implication of ýthis on small holder women farmers, who have been deprived access to government interventions like credit and extension services.

“We don’t even have access to good rural feeder roads to transport our produce to markets. In the end, this challenge contributes to food scarcity in our countries,” she said.

Also, the Country Director of AAN Ojobo Atuluku, called for drastic policy actions that would boost the welfare of women farmers on the continent.

She said the place of women farmers is in the center of policy making, because the bulk of food consumed in Africa are produced by women farmers.