By Felicia Imohimi
The Family Life and Community Health Society (FLACHS) under the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) NGO Support Initiative (NSI), has empowered subsistence women farmers in Rafin-Kwara community with financial skills.
The training, tagged ”Basic Money Skills and Sustainable Farming”, is geared towards boosting sustainable agriculture in Karu Local Government of Nasarawa State.
Mrs Ene Ochegbudu, FLACHS NSI Project Director, said the training was a continuation of earlier capacity-building held in Lokotiye community in the same locality, where farmers were trained on climate-smart agriculture, agroecology, and pest/disease control.
She explained that the financial literacy component of the capacity building was to equip the women with essential money management skills to complement their acquired agricultural knowledge, and ensuring improved productivity and sustainable livelihoods.
Ochegbudu said that the training also focused on empowering the women to plan financially before, during, and after each farming season to enhance their income.
She identified financial planning as a critical and first step in farming, adding that money as a powerful tool contributes to meeting self-esteem, safety, belonging, and physiological needs of farmers.
According to her, when a farmer plans his or her money well, the family grows stronger.
She decried the situation where many farmers struggle to sustain farming activities after each harvest, attributing the challenge to poor financial planning.
”Ideally, a farmer should set aside seed, finances for inputs, tools, and other essentials at the end of each farming season to cushion challenges in the next season.
“I urge you to plan, save gradually, spend wisely, borrow with caution, and collaborate through cooperatives or groups for greater financial strength,”she said.
The director urged participants to avoid frivolous spending on ceremonies and prioritise self-sustaining ventures with good returns to reduce dependency on others.
In his remarks, Mr Joe Dikko, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture, Karu LGA commended FLACHS and dRPC for their efforts in equipping women farmers with both agricultural inputs and financial literacy.
Dikko noted the critical role of women farmers, whom he said contributed over 70 per cent of the state’s food supply, but often face neglect from the government and society.
He said that with the current inflation and cultural barriers, women farmers needed financial knowledge and skills more than ever.
”When you empower a woman, you empower the family and the nation.
“This training will enable them to make informed financial decisions, save effectively, and invest wisely in their farms,” he said.
Similarly, Ms Mercy Nnaji, dRPC representative commended the women’s efforts of contributing significantly to the nation’s food security drive.
Nnaji assured that the organisation would continue to do everything possible to ensure adequate empowerment of women farmers for sustainable income and livelihood.
Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mrs Christy Ishiaku, expressed gratitude to the organisers for the impactful initiative.
Ishiaku noted that the provision of improved cowpea seedlings by the organisation earlier had already eased their financial burdens.
She noted that the current financial literacy skills have further strengthened their ability to plan for future farming seasons.
”Before now, I used to sell all my proceeds and spend the money without considering the next season. But with this training, I have learn to save for the rainy day,” she said.
Wazili Auta, one of the community head appreciated dRPC for the intervention, adding that the gesture would go a long way in boosting agricultural productivity in the area and ensure food security.
The community head of Rafin-kwara, Mr Ali Isah represented by his son Husaini Isah, urged the organisation to sustain the exercise.
According to him, the women in the community are predominantly farmers and their source of livelihoods comes from farming. (NAN)