Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development,
Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Sabo Nanono
FG launches Gender Policy to deepen
Women Involvement in Agricbusiness
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has launched the National Gender Policy
in Agriculture. The Document would promote and ensure the adoption
of gender sensitive and responsive approaches towards engendering
plans and programmes, in such a way that men and women have equal
access and control of productive resources and facilities to bridge
gender gaps.
Speaking at the launch held in Abuja, Alhaji Sabo
Nanono, said that the document would provide a policy direction for
the different roles of women and men in Agriculture for development
and gender equality in access to resources as well as equal
opportunities in maximizing means of livelihood and also necessary
condition for progressively realizing the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
Nanono further said that ‘’ the National Gender Policy
in Agriculture is expected to drastically reduce the vulnerability
of women to biases in agriculture, address the unequal gender power
relation and bridge gender gap’’
He explained that ‘’ when implemented will
be a tool for achieving gender – based reforms and increasing
productivity by men and women along all the value chains in the
sector improves food security ,reduces hunger, poverty and sustain
the livelihoods of men and women who rely on agricultural value
chains for common good’’
The Minister stressed that ‘’ this event no doubt, is
a unique platform aimed at contributing to the attainment of the
on- going agricultural reforms and development agenda of the
present administration’’
He informed that ‘’the National Gender
Policy in Agriculture is hinged on the National Gender
Policy (2006) and its Strategic Implementation Framework (2008) as
developed by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social
Development’’.
He emphasized that ‘’ it is important to note that
women make up about 50% of Nigeria’s population
and are responsible for carrying out 70% of agricultural labour,
50% of animal husbandry related activities and 60% of food
processing activities but have access to less than 20% of available
agricultural resources which is a serious impediment to their
maximizing agricultural production and that is why the launch of
this policy document is apt’’.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and
Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Dr. Abdullahi
Adamu, said that the role of women in the Agricultural sector
cannot be overemphasized because ‘’ women are in involved in all
the processing from clearing of the farm, harvesting and packaging
of agricultural products’’
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary,FMARD,
Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar, represented by the Director, Special
Duties /Gender, Mr. Zubairu Abdullahi, said that ‘’ to achieve
the task of bridging gender gap in Agriculture Sector, the Ministry
apart from pursuing and encouraging the establishment of gender
friendly policies, has initiated various women friendly programmes
and activities aimed at mainstreaming gender into agricultural
activities in collaboration with relevant organizations’’
Dr M.B Umar pointed out that ‘’ as a Ministry, we are
committed to the socio-economic empowerment of women and men in the
sector. We therefore, acknowledge, acting in line with the
Sustainable Development Goals declaration, that gender equality is
a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable
human development’’.
For: Director, Information (FMARD)