A non governmental organisation, Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has called on governments and other stakeholders to support women farmers in rural areas.
The organisation’s Chairperson, Mrs Janet Olaleye, said on Tuesday that the support would help to increase food production and economic development.
Olaleye spoke to newsmen on the sidelines of SWOFON’s one-day awareness programme tagged, “Small -Scale Women Farmers Retiring Hoes to the Museum”.
The women visited the National Museum, Ile-Ife, as part of the awareness programme aimed at attracting gender-friendly machines and support to rural women farmers.
The support includes grants, subsidies, fertlisers and non-interest loans.
Olaleye said that stakeholders’ support for rural farmers would enhance economic development.
“Women farmers need modern machines such as tractors, harvesters, planters, sprayers and caterpillars to carry out farming activities.
“This is the reason we brought our hoes back to the museum and yearn for support from the federal government through provision of modern machines for our farming activities,” she said.
According to Olaleye, such will bring about large cultivation of farm produce.
She called on smallholder women farmers associations to have make their needs known to policy makers and other stakeholders.
“We want their support to boost food production, especially in our villages,” Olaleye said.
According to her, SWOFON will continue to engage governments to formulate more favourable agricultural policies to support women smallholder farmers.
Earlier, an Assistant Director at the National Museum, Ile-Ife, Osun, Mr Anthony Enadeghe commended members of the organisation for the visit.
Enadeghe promised to ensure that the association’s request would get to the appropriate authorities.
He said that the federal government would not relent in supporting women farmers.
“The federal government has been showing full support for farmers, especially those in rural areas,” he said.
The museum facilitators, Mrs Funke Awoyera and Mrs Adenike Oloyede, took the women farmers round the museum to see artifacts.
