Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED), a coalition of over 100 women collectives and other women Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has called on the minister of agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, to engage women-led groups in the design, planning, and implementation of agriculture blueprint to ensure inclusivity, transparency and prioritize climate adaptation and nutrition as bases for food security in Nigeria.
In a media briefing yesterday in Abuja, Head of the coalition and National President of the National Council for Women’s Societies, (NCWS), Hajiya Lami Adamu-Lau, said it’s members working in gender, agriculture and nutrition have the capacity to ensure effective realization of such policies if carried along.
Expressing the significance of gender mainstreaming in the implementation of agricultural policies, especially targeting food security, said there is a clear nexus between food security and gender inclusivity.
The group commended the minister’s decision to pay attention to climate change adaptation and nutrition, describing it as a possible game changer that could lead the nation to increased food security, economic development, and poverty reduction.
‘’There is a relationship between climate change, nutrition and women’s economic empowerment.
“Similarly, food insecurity has a direct relationship to nutritive access. We therefore call on you to support women operating in the agricultural ecosystem to improve resilience to the negative impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity in Nigeria.‘’ Adamu-Lau said.
The group also task Kyari on prioritizing awareness creation on nutrition transition which it said can curb the plethora of health and wellbeing challenges that continue to plague Nigeria.
PAWED notes that inclusivity will strengthen transparency and accountability in the management of public programs designed to ameliorate the challenges of food security as well as enhance the overall growth of the agricultural sector.
‘’In this regard, the coalition believes introducing some civil society and private sector best practices in program management may improve administrative quality, thereby effectively reaching desired outcomes. ‘’ It adds.
It pointed also called for the use of smart technology in managing the numerous negative impacts of climate change on agricultural output, stressing the need to improve the dissemination of nutrition education, particularly in rural areas.
‘’We want to add that women’s networks will prove invaluable partners in this educational process because mothers are at the forefront of nutritional management in many Nigerian households, as children suffer the most from malnutrition and undernutrition,‘’ it said.
