The International Centre for Environmental Health and Development (ICEHD), in collaboration with the Rose of Sharon Foundation (ROSF), has empowered at least 100 rural women farmers in the FCT and its surrounding areas.
Solar-powered irrigation pumping equipment, bio-fertilisers, sprinklers, and backpack sprayers empowered the women.
ICEHD and ROSF also taught women agroecology and climate-smart agriculture techniques to increase farming productivity.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, ICEHD Consulting Partner Dr Ndudi Bowei stated that the initiative’s goal was to assist female farmers in adjusting to the challenges posed by climate change.
According to Bowei, climate change has significantly impacted the productivity of women farmers, resulting in a decrease in both the quantity and quality of their produce.
“Now climate change is affecting women farmers terribly, starting from the dryness of the soil to the reduction in the nutrients in the soil.
“The problems of pests, heat, lack of adequate rainfall, and so many other problems reduce the quality and quantity of their harvest and the amount of income these women can make.
“We want to teach them to produce tomorrow. We also have farming tools and implements we want to give them,” she said.
She explained that the training would also help the women apply adaptation practices that would enable them to adapt to climate change.
“It will also assist them to mitigate the impact on themselves as farmers and their incomes,” she said.
Bowei said the women farmers were taught how to grow their farm businesses, process their produce, package, label, and export it.
According to her, they were also taught how to produce organic compost and organic pesticides and how to use them on their soil and on the farm to improve the quality of their soil.
Also, Mrs Oloruntosin Taiwo, National Coordinator, ROSF, said the initiative sought stability for widowed farmers.
“We have our widows that are also farmers. So, we hope to work with this partner (ICEHD) to get stability for our widow farmers.
“So, from this training, they are going to increase their knowledge of smart agriculture, everything that has to do with climate agriculture, so that even as they have a change in the climate, their produce is not affected,” she said.
“We want them to be able to take care of themselves and their children. “So, we know that if their farming occupation is doing well, they’ll be able to have something to fall back on aside from all the other support they are getting from the foundation,” she said.
Ruth Sunday, another recipient, expressed her gratitude to the organisation for empowering women by providing training in climate-smart farming methods.
She and other participants promised to use the information they gained from the training and the agricultural supplies and equipment they were provided with.
Source: NAN
