Agriculture
THE International Centre for Environmental Health and Development (ICEHD) on Monday trained some Badagry women farmers on Climate-Resilience and climate adaptability.
Miss Mercy Joshua, the Programme Officer, ICEHD, a Non Governmental Organisation, said the training was to help strengthen their capacity to be resilient and learn strategies to face climate challenge.
The training which was held in Ajara, Badagry, was tagged; “Badagry Women Farmers Empowerment Project”.
She said that many women in Nigeria remained economically excluded, exploited and marginalised due to varied socioeconomic factors and cultural barriers.
“For women farmers particularly those in rural communities, this situation is worsened by the adverse impact of climate change.
“Nigeria’s climate is increasingly changing, evidenced in upsurge in temperature, variable rainfall, flooding and land degradation with these changes bringing a gendered impact, as it disproportionately affects women and widens gender inequalities.
“Small scale women farmers’ loose opportunities, markets, and profits as climate change hits Nigeria.
“With series of engagements with community leaders, womens’ groups and local women farmers in Badagry, ICEHD with support from VOICE embarked upon the one-year project.
“It is focused on empowering Badagry women farmers with knowledge, skills, resources and tools to enable them access economic opportunities, and be equipped with sustainable solutions to address climate challenges.
“This will enable them achieve economic justice and the capacity to project their voices against exploitation and marginalization,” she said.
Joshua stated that working with the Agricultural Department
of Badagry Local Government, over 100 women farmers in Badagry had been trained in different practical ways to become resilient in their farming operations.
“At the same time, they learnt various strategies to adapt to problems associated to climate change, with the aim of achieving one of the objectives of the project for economic advancement of Badagry women farmers,” she said.
Dr Ndudi Bowei, Country Manager, Rose of Sharon Foundation, said her NGO was collaborating with ICEHD to train women farmers in Badagry.
According to her, the training is very significant to women farmers because everyone knows that climate change comes with a lot of problems.
“The importance of the training is that the farmers will learn how to be resilient to the problem of climate change and how to adapt to issues relating to it.
“At the end of the training, it will improve the farming activities, quality of work they do, their harvests and lastly their incomes,” she said.
Mrs Hannah Godonu, one of the farmers from Apa town, said they had benefited immensely from the training programme.
According to her, fertilizers and other farm tools given to us on February have improved our farms.
“We are really grateful for their support toward the development of women farmers in Badagry,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ICEHD was established in 2004 for the promotion of the rights to health, development and empowering of women and girls by improving access to socioeconomic opportunities, reproductive health services and viable livelihoods. (NAN)
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Tags: International Centre for Environmental Health and Development
