Oyoko (Ash), September 04, GNA – Women engaged
in cocoa farming in the Sekyere Kumawu District of Ashanti have called for the
abolition of obnoxious cultural and traditional practices that hampered their
economic empowerment and development.
Nana Akosua Benpomaah, Sekyere Kumawu District
Chief farmer, who made the call said it was time cultural practices that
prevented women from having equal access to land and other economic resources
in their families and communities, were removed.
Speaking at a farmers’ forum at Oyoko, she
said the continued marginalisation of women in decision making and inequalities
in accessing economic resources, were to blame for extreme poverty among women,
especially those in rural communities.
The forum was organised by the Cocoa Health
and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD and the goal was to discuss issues and
challenges facing cocoa production in the district.
It also created the platform for cocoa farmers
to interact with extension and technical officers to share ideas on new farming
techniques and agronomic practices to improve farm management in order to
increase crop yield and income.
Nana Benpomaah said traditional and cultural
practices barred women from the inheritance of land belonging to their deceased
spouses or male family members in some communities, which were inimical to
gender equality and an affront to economic empowerment of women.
“This situation is just one of the strong
underlying factors enhancing poverty, unemployment and hardships among women
and families in the various communities in Ghana, especially in the rural
areas, where farming is the main stay of the people” she stressed.
Nana Benpomaah said even in some communities,
women were prevented from having their own farms as wives ending all their
toils with their husbands in vain, in the event of a divorce, or when the
husband decided to find another wife.
The whole farm acquired together with the
ex-wife is completely taken over without considering a share for the first wife
who toiled with him to get the farm.
This made the affected women and their
children more vulnerable thus endangering their economic progress and social
standing.
She called for support from government and
other women rights advocates to consider the views and concerns of women in the
land tenure system in Ghana to help empower and assist rural women to have
access to land to guarantee their economic freedom and sustain their incomes,
to cater for their families.
Mr. Samuel Addai Agyekum, District Chief
Executive (DCE) for Sekyere Kumawu commended women in cocoa farming for their
efforts to improve cocoa and food production in the area.
He said the Assembly would continue to engage
women in agriculture to train and empower them to increase crop yield to boost
agricultural production while increasing their incomes to improve on their
socio-economic standards.
GNA