Women working together

 Faiza Osman is among many rural women farmers who are matchlessly, produc­ing 70 per cent of Africa’s rice despite the many obstacles they face.

Majority of these smallholder farmers who are into agriculture in Gentiga, in Bawku West in the Upper East Region, continuously break gender disparity, climate change and financial exclusion barriers in order to support their husbands in taking care of their families.

Speaking to Madam Faiza on her farm close to the Red Volta, she said, traditionally, there is a gender productivity gap that mandates women to support their husbands in the morning and work on their personal farms in the evening.

“Due to limited access to land, technology, adaptation, domestic care work and finan­cial support, we end up using our profits from the little farms to take care of the children,” she said.

She said, since majority of the women living in rural communi­ties have no other employment than farming, they were com­pelled to work harder in order to support the family.

However, whenever there is a training or any financial support, it is the men who are considered first because the women were considered less privileged.

Madam Faiza believes that, if equal opportunities were given to both women and men, the women would produce more to feed the family and the nation as a whole.

Sherifatu Adam, a smallhold­er farmer in Tumu, urged the government and other agricul­tural institutions to give women equal opportunities in training, climate change education and financial support in order to expand their farms.

Mr Mahama Salifu, the District Agricultural Director at the East Mamprusi District in the Upper West Region, applauded the contribution of women small­holder farmers in producing to feed the nation.

He said, majority of the staple crops such as maize, rice and millet were produced by the women in smaller quantities but becomes so much when put together.

“With what I have witnessed so far, I believe that with addi­tional support, they would be able to produce more to address food insecurity concerns of the country,” he said.

He said many of these women lack training, financial support as well as access to farmlands which hinder their capacity to produce more.

He commended Non-Govern­mental Organisations (NGOs) for their role in partnering with the government in the agricultural sector.

 From: Geoffrey Buta, Gentiga