Some agriculture experts have harped on the creation and availability of enabling environment for women farmers to boost their productivity in the sector.
The experts disclosed this in separate interviews on Tuesday in Lagos.
They said the government had created an enabling environment for women farmers to thrive in the sector though many were unaware these policies.
Prof. Faith Ibrahim of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, urged women farmers to tap into the policies created by government to favour the gender in the sector.
“For women farmers and women generally, there are policy documents that provide for opportunities for women on agriculture.
“This policy document has harnessed all the challenges of women farmers and makes provision from the government angle for women farmers to be engaged at various levels,” Ibrahim said.
On loans and funds, the don noted that a lot of platforms and the government were willing to grant financing to women farmers.
“With regards to the level of resource acquisition, loan acquisition, the platform and the government is aware of all this.
“Stakeholders are aware of all this and women are being incorporated through their various regulatory agencies like the Ministry of Women Affairs, Women in Agriculture associations.
“All these platforms allow for their women farmers voices to be heard concerning the areas of challenge. And these are being met to the benefit the of women,” she said.
On her part, Mrs Temitope Ande, the President She farmers Initiatives, called for more encouragement of women farmers in the sector with technology-driven agriculture system in place.
“Presently, more than 80 per cent of farmers in the rural areas are women, They are the active farmers on our farms today.
“To encourage women farmers more , we need to provide access to technology based farming and to drive their processes from manual cultivation by using tractors and other agro-machinery.
“Technology-driven agriculture will simplify the entire process and increase production capacity of women farmers.
“Providing resources and technical support for the female farmers will help them trail blazes in the Nigerian agro sector,” Ande said.
NAN
