******Food Production/Agro-ecology: ENVIRUMEDIC, SWOFON Demands Land for Rural Women
**** As Groups, Agric Stakeholders Makes Recommendations To DTSG To Boost Agric Production
By Victor Bieni
A call has gone to Delta State Government as a matter of urgent policy to make land available for Smallholder Women Farmers and young people to guarantee food security through agroecology practice.
Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC) led by its CEO, Chief Monday Oghenerouna Itoghor made this remark during a town Hall meeting organized recently at Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State on the campaign for Smallholder Women Farmers and Young People to have access and Control over Land to boost food production in Delta State.
The CEO while commending ActionAid for the sponsorship stated that “The campaign is in partnership with land related stakeholders. It is one of the proposed activities for the Strategic Partnership for Agroecology and Climate Justice (SPAC) West African Project aimed at supporting women farmers’ and young people access and control of land.
The issue of land ownership by women is more pronounced in rural areas due to cultural norms. The meeting was aimed at supporting women farmers’ access and control of land impaired due to the patriarchal system of leadership and cultural norms against women across the rural communities and low economic activities for women that disempowered them to access and control lands outrightly.
The Meeting had a total number of 22 participants in attendance which included land stakeholders across 6 LGAs in the state, Head of Agriculture Departments, Legal Aid Council, Delta State SWOFON Coordinator and Members, ENVIRUMEDIC, Clerk of the LGAs Legislative Arm, and the Media. According to the development partners, the Strategic Partnerships for Agroecology and Climate Justice (SPAC) West Africa Project is a 3-year project funded by ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) through its Transformative Impact Fund (TIF). The project is being implemented in Liberia, Nigeria, & Senegal, with regional engagement of stakeholders in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission. ActionAid Nigeria is implementing in Nigeria and coordinating the ECOWAS region engagements and continental engagements.
The following recommendations were made at the end of the meeting; State government, Ministry of Land and Survey, State Houses of Assembly, Delta State Association of President generals, and Local Government Chairpersons to deliberately support the provision of land for smallholder women farmers and young people to effectively access and control of land for sustainable safe food security through Agroecology Practice in Delta State. As more recommendations trickled, the Agric Stakeholders demands amongst others are: That Delta State Government should reduce the bottleneck involved in accessing government land for women farmers and young people”.
“That LGAs should set up a reserve area for women farmers and young people for agricultural purposes. That Community Development Department of the LGAs should liaise with SWOFON on Land Issues most especially on land matters at the community level. That Department of Agriculture HOD should work with SWOFON to plan women’s activities and land access in their LGAs. That State House of Assembly should pass a law on women’s access and control of Land in Delta State”.
” That Local Government Chairpersons should redirect their annual priorities on food and agriculture and should champion the reorientation of their staff on the importance of food and agriculture and the need to make land available for women farmers. That Delta State Ministry of Agriculture, should prioritize women farmers and young people in their plans and make land available in their already allocated areas for women farmers and young people”.
“That Delta State Association of president generals and Land Committees of various communities to make out reserve areas for agriculture in their various communities that can be accessed by women farmers and young people. That Agriculture HoDs of the various LGAs to meet their chairpersons find the reserved areas in their various LGAs that can be allocated to women farmers and revert to SWOFON”