ICEHD, others task policymakers on mainstreaming gender inclusion in agric value chain

THE International Centre for Environmental Health and Development ( ICEHD) has called on policy makers and all stakeholders to decisively influence policy reform to mainstream gender in agricultural budgeting and financial inclusion, to achieve sustainable climate justice for women farmers in Nigeria.

They made this call at a recent policy review and advocacy forum for the climate justice and economic resilience project for rural women farmers in Nigeria, which included project learning outcomes and an updated book presentation.

Project Manager, ICEHD, Dr Ndudi Bowei, explained that Nigeria’s climate has been changing, evidenced in increases in temperature, variable rainfall, rise in sea level and flooding, drought and desertification and land degradation.

She added that these changes bring a gendered impact, as it disproportionately affects women and widens gender inequalities. “Women, being the majority of the world’s poor and more dependent on natural resources, become more vulnerable than men to climate change impacts.”

Bowei explained that as climate change affects Nigeria, small scale women farmers count losses, because they play vital roles in agricultural production and are key to Nigeria’s food security.

“They account for 70 per cent of agricultural workers and 80 per cent of food producers but are at the receiving ends of the negative impacts of climate change.”

Following series of fact- finding and deliberations with women farmers on some of the climate- related challenges they face, which is negatively impacting food security, increased income and financial freedom, ICEHD with support from African Women’s Development Fund ( AWDF) embarked upon a two- year project on “Climate Justice and Economic Resilience for Women Farmers in Nigeria” ( 2022- 2023), with centred locations in Abuja and Lagos.

The project set out to increase the number of rural women farmers, skilled in climate- smart agriculture and innovative farming technology, equipped with tools for increased crop production, improved food security, access to markets, income and improved agricultural financing.

Programme Director, ICEHD, Sonnie Bowei, said between February 2022 and February 2024, 200 women farmers were directly trained under the project, 100 in the North ( centered in Abuja) and another 100 in the South ( centered in Lagos and Akwa Ibom states).