Small Women Farmers Must Be Prioritised in Delta’s Agriculture Funding– Envirumedic CEO
ASABA/Nigeria: Chief Monday Ogheneruona Itoghor, CEO of the Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC), has called for increased support for smallholder women farmers in Delta State, highlighting their critical role in ensuring food security.
Speaking at the 2024 SWOFON Interactive Forum and World Food Day celebration held on October 17 at Orchid Hotel, Asaba, Itoghor emphasized that women farmers produce over 70 percent of the food consumed locally but face significant challenges in accessing essential resources.
He stressed that overcoming financial barriers and providing access to credit, land, and farming inputs such as seedlings and fertilizers are vital to addressing hunger and promoting agricultural development in the state.
The event, themed “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future: Where is the Place for SWOFON in the NGN7.0 Billion Earmarked for the Ministry of Agriculture?” was organized by ENVIRUMEDIC in collaboration with the Delta State Ministry of Agriculture and supported by ActionAid Nigeria.
Itoghor urged the state government to prioritize SWOFON members in the NGN7.0 billion allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture in Delta State’s 2024 budget. He also called for the inclusion of women farmers in agricultural training programs, access to credit, and support for modern farming techniques to boost food production and security.
Key stakeholders, including representatives from the state and federal Ministries of Agriculture, SMEDAN, the Bank of Agriculture, and the Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, attended the forum.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of SWOFON’s Charter of Demands, which called for greater government intervention to support women farmers with resources, labor-saving technologies, and training in climate resilience, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and food security measures.
