Sowing Seeds of Change: Women Lead Nigeria’s Agricultural Revolution (Innovative Symposium Spotlights Gender Mainstreaming for Sustainable Food Security)
In a dynamic gathering that challenged conventional wisdom, experts and rural women converged to reshape Nigeria’s approach to food security. The symposium, held on Thursday (18/7/24) at the Women Development Centre in Calabar, brought fresh perspectives to the forefront of agricultural discourse.
Emmanuel Anoh, Special Adviser on Rice Value Chain for Cross River State, delivered a thought-provoking keynote. “The real key to food security lies in the three A’s: Availability, Accessibility, and Affordability,” Anoh asserted. “But we must reimagine how we achieve them.”
Anoh proposed practical yet innovative strategies, including community-led seed banks to preserve local crop varieties and mobile processing units to reduce post-harvest losses. “By bringing processing closer to farms, we can dramatically increase the value retained by rural communities,” he explained.
Dr. Oliver Ntui, the local organizing committee chairman for the event, emphasized the importance of indigenous knowledge. “Our grandmothers knew how to predict rainfall patterns without satellites. We need to blend this ancestral wisdom with modern technology,” Dr. Ntui stated. He advocated for a curriculum overhaul in agricultural education to include traditional farming techniques alongside contemporary methods.
Amb. (Mrs) Benita Usang, APC State Woman Leader for the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State, highlighted the critical role of women in agriculture. “Women are not just farmers; they are innovators and guardians of our food security,” she declared. Usang proposed a mentorship program pairing experienced female farmers with young agripreneurs, aiming to bridge the generational gap in agricultural knowledge.
The symposium, organized by the Miss Agriculture Nigeria Empowerment Initiative, saw rural women taking center stage. These unsung heroes of the agricultural sector shared innovative techniques they’ve developed, from water conservation methods using locally available materials to natural fertilizers created from household waste.
Miss Agriculture Nigeria 2024, Sharon Amarikwa, who had been crowned earlier, received a car prize at the event. Amarikwa used the platform to showcase her initiative: a mobile app connecting small-scale farmers with micro-financing options. “Access to capital is often the biggest hurdle for rural farmers. This app aims to change that,” Amarikwa explained.
As the symposium concluded, it was clear that the path to sustainable food security in Nigeria would be paved with practical, innovative ideas rooted in local realities. With the backing of H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as well as H.E Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu, these grassroots solutions might just be the catalyst Nigeria needs to transform its agricultural landscape.
It Is Truly Our Season Of Sweetness!
Written And Designed By:
Engr. Paul Gekpe
(C.E.O Pathech Studio’s & Corporation)