Smallholder women farmers laud Oyo Govt. on agric intervention

The Smallholder Women Farmers in Nigeria (SWOFON), Oyo State Chapter, has lauded the Oyo State government for including its members in its agricultural interventions.

The intervention followed the newsmen field investigation and report on how smallholder women farmers were marginalised in the Oyo State agricultural initiative tagged ‘Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery’ (SAfER) project.

The SWOFON Chairperson in Oyo State, Mrs Atinuke Akinbade, in an interview with the correspondent on Tuesday in Ibadan, said members of the association had been included in all the state government’s interventions targeted at farmers.

She said that some women farmers did not take the government serious when they were called upon to receive what the government had for them.

Akinbade said this was because it never happened that government would give many smallholder women farmers huge opportunity to benefit from its programmes.

“We have not seen anything like this before and the government has promised to always include women significantly in its intervention going forward,” she said.

Akinbade said that various categories of farmers involved in planting different crops such as Maize and Cassava among others were given fertilisers and seedlings.

“Smallholder women farmers went to their various local government areas and were able to access these things.

“Majority of those who went benefited from the inputs while some said they didn’t benefit.

“But more than 200 smallholder women farmers benefited which is unprecedented in the history of government interventions in the agricultural sector in the state,” she said.

The chairperson expressed delighted that her members had been included in the scheme of things and had started receiving government support.

Akinbade added that she helped to mobilise smallholder women farmers in Ibarapa and Ogbomosho among other areas to benefit from the government interventions.