By Khalid Idrid Doya
The United Nations has said that despite poverty rates in rural areas across most regions of the World, smallholder agriculture produces nearly 80% of food in sub-Saharan Africa and supports the livelihoods of some 2.5 billion people.
According to the United Nations Women, women account for about 70-80% of the agricultural labour force, including informal work, and perform the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work within families and households in rural areas.
The United Nations Women Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Beatrice Eyong made the remarks yesterday in Dass, Bauchi state at the unveiling of rice milling machines in Badel and Nbankwara communities of Dass Local Government Areas of the state.
“This year, UN Women is collaborating with Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Bauchi chapter and the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) to provide Automated Rice Milling Machines to two rural communities of Dass Local Government Area in Bauchi State.
She explained that the proposed collaboration is aimed at increasing and enhancing women’s economic empowerment through climate-smart agriculture, which technologies will be launched as a step closer to economic empowerment for the rural women of these communities.
According to her, UN women is also supporting rural women in Bauchi through climate smart practices with the use of biogas as an alternative source of cooking fuel for rural women with the aim of reducing deforestation, time labour for women who have to walk distances to get firewood and generate income for women.
Ms. Beatrice Eyong assured that UN Women remained committed to promoting women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria as a whole and in Bauchi state, saying the unveiling of the machines will mark the beginning of discussion on the domestication of the National WEE policy in the state.
“I am confident that through the support of our implementing partners, the local government, and the Government of Bauchi state, challenges would be addressed, solutions proffered, and a sustainable pathway will be set for the empowerment of rural women in the state”, Eyong concluded.
Unveiling the machines, Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by the state commissioner of agriculture, Prof. Simon Madugu Yalams said that with the changing climate, situation and other unavoidable changes, women should go to the farm and actively partake in agricultural production to contribute to the nation’s food security.
Prof. Simon Yalams explained that Governor Bala Mohammed’s administration came with a vision, idea, and conceived policy on agriculture which culminated in the execution of various developmental projects to enhance both food and cash crops that could boost the economy of the state.
Also speaking, the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman revealed that 60 percent of the arable land in Dass emirate is being cultivated by women in the Dass community, so the bulk of both food and cash crops are being produced by women.
Alh. Usman Bilyaminu Othman assured that the milling machines would be effectively, adequately be taken care of and properly maintained for maximum utilization of Dass communities.
