ActionAid calls for increase investment for women farmers

Government has been asked to scale up investment in small-holder agriculture in general and women farmers in particular to enhance food security in the country.

This is because the contribution of small-holder agriculture, especially women farmers to food security in the country can not be overemphasized as eight out of 10 of the world’s small-holder farmers were women, who produced half of the world’s food and 80 per cent of Africa’s food.

Madam Veronica Quarley Quartey, Right to Food and Climate Change Policy Advisor of ActionAid Ghana, made the call during the celebration of this year’s International Day of Rural Women, at Jirapa in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region.

She said that with this commendable effort of women in the area of food production, ActionAid called for clear budget lines for small-holder agriculture and a special budget for women farmers.

Madam Quartey called on authorities to address challenges regarding women’s access to and control over fertile lands.

She appealed to global policy makers such as the G8 to increase their support for small-holder agriculture and food security.

Madam Quartey said that national poverty level would fall from 28 per cent to 16 per cent by 2015 but in the Northern part of Ghana it would fall from 63 per cent to 49 per cent.

She said “this means that targeted interventions such as increased access to productive resources for women including fertile lands for production can not be overemphasized.”

Source: GNA