No End To Hunger, Poverty In Nigeria Yet, Unless… – WARDC

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The Executive Director of the Women Advocates’ Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Barr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, has warned that poverty and hunger in Nigeria would persist, unless the efforts of women farmers are recognised and assisted.

Speaking at a policy dialogue in Abuja on Tuesday, Akiyode-Afolabi, warned in spite of public pronouncements by governments to eradicate poverty and hunger, the country had not been able to address it, because policy makers chose to ignore those actually practice agriculture in the country.

The WARDC boss expressed the worry that women holder farmers have just 14 per cent of holding rights ‎on land where they farm, emphasizing that despite the roles of women farmers in food production, government agricultural policies hardly focus on supporting them.

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She stressed that if women had the same access to finance, land, technology as men, they could contribute significantly to achievement of the SDGs of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

“Women no doubt constitute about 50% of the population and if women efforts are not recognised in the agricultural sector, the society might not be able to address the huge burden of hunger and poverty.

“In spite of these enormous tasks, they have limited access to land, credit facilities, farm inputs, training and advice, technology and crop insurance among other things. Most importantly, they are poorly represented in agricultural sector and spaces. Thus lacking voice, representation and adequate participation,” she said.

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