From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has pledged capacity building for women in agricultural activities to boost food sufficiency in the state.
Commissioner of Agriculture, Timothy Ojoma, gave the assurance while speaking at the presentation of Scorecard on Smallholder Women Farmers Access to Agricultural inputs and training.
The presentation which was organised by Small-scale Women Farmers in Nigeria (SWOFON), Kogi State Chapter, in partnership with Kogi Budget Committee Group and support from ActionAid Nigeria is aimed at evaluating the success story on the efforts made to ensure that Kogi women farmers have access to agricultural inputs and training.
The commissioner commended women farmers in Kogi for their desire to make greater impact in farming activities describing the presentation Programme as very timely.
“Government will continue to do everything possible to provide enabling enhancement of women farmers to boost their productivity and income earnings. Efforts will also be made by Kogi Government to encourage small-scale farming and mechanised agriculture” the commissioner promised.
He noted that SWOFON has a greater role to play in initiation of programmes that will promote women farmers activities in the state saying that through collaboration and sharing of ideas on the way forward is the surest way out to achieve success.
Rukayat Ahmed, Coordinator of the Kogi State Chapter of Small-scale Women Farmers in Nigeria (SWOFON), in her speech, said that the programme is targeted at boosting food security as well as alleviating poverty and hunger in Nigeria.
She called on government at all levels to give priority to empowerment of women farmers through adequate provision of agricultural inputs and the needed training in agriculture to enable them make impact in food production.