Rural Women Farmers Demand Credit Facilities, Access To Land

Rural women have called on government for credit facilities and access to land to boost food production.

They stated this on Thursday in Calabar, while marking the 2022 United Nations International Day of Rural Women.

The event was organised by UN Women and the Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), with theme ‘Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All’.

During the event which attracted women representatives from Ebonyi and Benue states, the women urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Bill on the land tenure system to favour women as against the current situation which is in favour of the men.

Speaking on behalf of the women, National President, Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Deaconess Victoria Bolanle Ihesuilor, said women should be encouraged because they provide food for families, communities and the nations of the world.

She said, “Women labour in their farms such that going to farm the next day is always difficult but they have to go to make sure that there is food on the table and some left for them to sell and earn an income.

“Rural women, who are mainly farmers, have challenges of funding and access to large peices of land. Rural women want to cultivate large farms, they want to plant different crops but the fund to do so is not there. To have access to credit facilities in banks is also a problem.

“Land is another issue. For a rural woman to be able to do agriculture business on a pretty large scale, she needs land. Governments at the local government to the Federal level should make land available for rural women to boost food production.

Also in his remarks, Deputy Country Representative of the United Nations in Nigeria, Mr Lansana Wonneh, urged rural women to apply technology in agriculture to boost their food production.

“Every policy of government should fairly treat the rural women because fundamentally for any society to grow, every segment of the society should be equitably treated and the rural women are an important segment of the society,” he said.

Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Pastor Nathaniel Ilem said, “no attention has been given to rural farmers, women inclusive. A rural woman is still using hoe and machete. No modern tools like tractors to plow the land and not even syringes to use in vaccinating animals. This should change for the better.”