By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Oct. 07, GNA – A stakeholders’ meeting has been held to validate a study dubbed: Advocacy for Women Economic Security and Justice in Agriculture in the Northern Region of Ghana”.
The participating stakeholders included women drawn from Assemblies where the study was conducted, representatives from the District Department of Agriculture including Women in Agricultural Development, civil society organisations and the media.
The study, undertaken between from January and February this year in Tamale, Sagnarigu, Mion and Tolon District Assemblies in the region, examined the opportunities and challenges women faced in their quest to realising economic justice and security in agriculture in the area.
It also assessed the impact of climate change on food security and social protection programmes for women in agriculture in the region, reviewed critical and relevant agricultural policies and assessed the role played by women in the development and implementation of those policies.
It was commissioned by the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Ghana) with support from the African Women Development Fund.
Dr Ibrahim Naazia, and Dr Muhammed Abdulai, both Lecturers at the Faculty of Media Studies, Department of Communication, Innovation and Technology, University for Development Studies, who constituted the research team, presented the findings of the study during the validation meeting in Tamale.
Dr Abdulai emphasised that the study explored how women’s economic security and justice in agriculture in northern Ghana could be achieved.
The study found that though women in agriculture did have equal income, access to credit facilities and equal rights to decision making but did not enjoy economic justice and security.
It also found out that women faced challenges in gaining equal access to and managing resources such as land, loans, and extension services.
Despite the critical role women played in the agricultural industry in the country, they comparatively had no easy access to land, credit facilities, the right technologies, and the required social support from society it noted.
“This situation negatively affects overall agricultural production in the region and the country,” and this could create economic or income disparity between men and women in the agricultural sector, lower standard of living in the region, cause unbalanced diet and consequently malnutrition among children.
The study recommended that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), along with other civil society organisations, ought to offer training and capacity development programmes on climate change adaptation strategies for women in agriculture to increase their knowledge, skills, and productivity.
It further urged MoFA to establish gender desks at each regional and district offices to support women in agriculture and the implementation of gender policies in agriculture.
Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, the Executive Director, SWIDA-Ghana, emphasised that the purpose of the research was to have an evidence-based advocacy to know what the government policies were, whether women understand the policies. To know how to access the policies, and if they were accessing them among others.
GNA