The Federal Government has been urged to address land rights for women farmers if the millennium goals of a hunger-free world by 2015 is to be achieved.
Dr Elizabeth Oluwalana, who is of Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said lack of women’s access to productive resources remains a major obstacle in the productivity and maintenance of cultivable land.
Mrs Oluwalana said the place of women is critical in food security.
For them to make better contribution, she said they need economic incentives that the security of tenure provides.
She said the nation was making maximum progress because of poor response to genderbased food security efforts.
Given women’ role in food production and provision, Mr. Oluwalana noted that any strategy for sustainable food security must address their limited access to productive resources.
Nationwide, she said, there was inequity in the wage structure for women in agriculture.
A large portion of food output originates in the hands of women farmers.
A don ,Prof. Adeniji Adeloye, said women’s work, in farm is labelled as household chores and not given the status of work.
Adeloye,who is of the Department of Animal Production,University of Ilorin, said the society has grossly underestimated the female workforce in the country.
Ensuring equity in women’s rights to land, property, capital assets, wages and livelihood opportunities, he canvassed will improve food production..
For farmers to make a greater contribution to food security, he said they need access to land, management control of land-based resources and the economic incentives that the security of tenure provides.
He said the agricultural sector employs a larger proportion of the female workforce. This includes casual day labourers, part-time or temporary workers, domestic workers, industrial outworkers among others.
In most situation, women’s wages range from half to two-thirds of the wages received by men.
Adeloye said the gap between male and female wages was highest. As a consequence, women’s earnings from agriculture are low.
He said there will be improvement in household food security, once women have access to better income from agriculture
Adeloye said policymakers should boost the activities of women farmers by targeting them for credit.
