By Kayode Abdulazeez, Ilorin
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has advocated a special consideration for women farmers in the annual agriculture budget of Kwara State.
The coalition, who made this statement through its Budget Committee on Public Financing of Agriculture Project in Kwara, said women in agriculture had never been a priority of the agriculture budget in the state.
The committee made the observation in Ilorin at its media briefing on the analysis of Kwara state 2018 Agriculture Budget.
Mr Abdurrahman Ayuba, the Lead Convener and Senior Programme Officer for Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), a partner of Actionaid Nigeria, stressed the need for opportunities that would enable smallholder women farmers to participate in prioritizing government agriculture initiatives.
However, Ayuba noted that a paltry sum of N1.3 million budgeted for women in agriculture in the 2018 budget was saddened considering the strategic roles played by women in all aspects of agriculture.
According to him, the 2.92 per cent budgetary provision for agriculture in the budget of N181.8 billion fell far short of the Malabo declaration of atleast10 per cent provision.
He explained, however, that the 2.92 per cent was an improvement on the abysmal 0.43 per cent in 2017.
It stated there was a need for the state government to clarify the difference between Malete Youth Farm and Integrated Youth Farm project as both had been a regular feature in the state agriculture budget for years.
The committee recommended an easy access to cheap credit for the farmers particularly the smallholder women farmers.
The analysis also faulted a meagre allocation for extension service in the budget, explaining that if necessary impact must be made in the Agric sector, extension workers should be more visible.
“We advocate that budget statement must be clear and explicit, while the location and beneficiary local government and community of the budget line item must be properly stated.
“There should be a properly established monitoring and evaluation unit for the purpose of carrying out Monitoring and Evaluation functions.
“We recommend that this unit should co-opt CSOs and farmers in the state should be part of any monitoring exercise.
“Taking into consideration their strategic role in food production and other aspects of agriculture value chain, we recommend that women in agriculture should be encouraged by making appropriate allocation to their budget line. It should be commensurate with their efforts”, he said.