The Ekiti State Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Life and Peace Development Organization, (LAPDO) has organized a two-day workshop to train and empower women farmers in the state to be self-reliant and to improve availability of food in the country.
Speaking, the Executive Director of LAPDO, Mr. Franklin Oloniju revealed that the workshop was organized to support the Ekiti State government to come up with an all-inclusive policy aimed at harmonizing all the agricultural departments in the state.
He further stated that the project tagged ‘SCHEME’, is a national intervention one adding that the pilot project is expected to kick start in the six states across the southwest of the country.
Oloniju added, “The two days’ workshop is to help develop agricultural policy for the residents of the state which will accommodate the population of women farmers. This constitutes about 60% to 70% of the populace because women are the main people that guarantee food security”.
LAPDO Director, Oloniju assured that the project will reach out to all practicing farmers regardless of their political affiliations adding that the only criterion to access the funds is for the farmers to form themselves into a cluster.
He said, “We expect that all small scale women farmers should form themselves into groups in order to access the funds that will come into the Agro women budget line which will help them to improve their livelihood”.
Speaking further, the Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr. Olabode Adetoyi, commended the agency for collaborating with the government to develop a working agricultural policy for the state adding that the government is prepared to bring in innovations to improve the state’s agricultural sector.
“My message to the people of Ekiti is that a program of this nature is to make life easy and to ensure food security. When you have a very good policy and it is implemented, it will cushion the effect of hunger in the land”.
Packaged By Emmanuel Adeniran
