In commemoration of International Women’s Day(IWD) 2024, The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the critical contributions of smallholder women farmers in Nigeria’s quest for food security and sustainable environment.
In a letter addressed to the President, Signed by HEDA’s Executive Secretary, Sulaimon Arigbabu, the organization specifically appealed to President Tinubu to be more intentional about giving due attention to the contributions of women into agriculture and other nature based livelihoods.
HEDA urged the president to consider bigger and more ambitious public investment directly targeted at promoting inclusion and empowerment for women owned enterprises and initiatives through key ministries of – Agriculture, Women Affairs, Water Resources, Energy, Marine and Blue Economy and the Environment.
The letter also called upon President Tinubu to take leadership of, and show strong commitment to the development of national policy frameworks and actions integrating gender equality into climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
HEDA stressed the importance of facilitating the exchange of best practices among states regarding successful initiatives empowering women in food systems and climate mitigation and adaptation.
Highlighting the significance of amplifying the voices of smallholder women farmers in decision-making, the letter emphasized women’s indispensable contributions to Nigeria’s agricultural sector while noting challenges such as limited land ownership, inadequate access to finance and technology, and the burden of climate change.
The letter stated that the biggest challenge is the lack of adequate inclusion of women in decision making in agriculture and climate solutions, in spite of women having more “boots on the ground” than men in these critical areas.
Additionally, in a separate writing to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, HEDA urged the initiation of a review of existing land tenure laws to identify and address discriminatory practices against women’s land ownership and inheritance, potentially through community sensitization programmes.
Whilst commending the Governor for appointing a woman as the commissioner for agriculture, HEDA further tasked Mr. Sanwo-Olu to do much more to give smallholder women farmers a voice and a seat at every level of decision making.
HEDA opined that the governor may wish to consider the setting up of a Gender Equality Task Force to develop an action plan to address women’s inclusion in food systems and other critical sectors of the economy.
HEDA also sought the partnership of the Lagos State Government with research institutions and NGOs to develop and disseminate gender-appropriate technologies, along with facilitating training programs on their use and maintenance.
Furthermore, HEDA reached out to the National Assembly Senate Committee on Climate Change and Ecology and House Committee on Climate Change, as well as the two agriculture committees of both chambers urging them to champion legislative reforms to promote women’s land rights and access to financial resources for climate-smart agriculture.
The organization emphasized the need for oversight functions to hold government agencies accountable for implementing policies and programs supporting women in food and climate justice.
Letters were also addressed to other stakeholders, including the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Women Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture among others, with appropriate demands.
HEDA expressed confidence that these steps would demonstrate strong government support at all levels for the crucial role of women in achieving food security and climate resilience in Nigeria.
The organization reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with all stakeholders to provide expertise in developing and implementing strategies toward this goal.