The National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), has called on the Federal Government to give priority to creating awareness on nutrition transition.
This, the organisation said would help curb the plethora of health and wellbeing challenges that continue to plague Nigeria.
NCWS also called on the Minister of Agriculture, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, to engage women-led civil society groups in the design, planning, and implementation of his agricultural blueprint to ensure inclusivity, transparency to prioritize climate adaptation and nutrition as bases for food security in Nigeria.
The Organization at a press conference in Abuja said there is a clear nexus between food security and gender inclusivity.
National President NCWS, Hajiya Lami Lau, commended the Minister for his vision in improving food security through innovative interventions and improved funding.
She said the significance of gender mainstreaming in the implementation of agricultural policies, especially targeting food security cannot be overemphasised.
Lau said “There is a relationship between climate change, nutrition and women’s economic empowerment. Similarly, food insecurity has a direct relationship to nutritive access.
We therefore call on you to support women operating in the agricultural ecosystem to improve resilience to the negative impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
“In this regard, the coalition believes introducing some civil society/private sector best practices in program management may improve their administrative quality, thereby effectively reaching desired outcomes. ‘’
The group described the Minister’s decision to pay attention to climate change adaptation and nutrition as a possible game changer that could lead the nation to increased food security, economic development, and poverty reduction.
NCWS in partnership with the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development, a coalition of over 100 women collectives in Nigeria and other women’s civil society organizations working in gender in agriculture and nutrition, called on the Minister to engage women-led civil society groups in the design, planning, and implementation of his agricultural blueprint to ensure inclusivity and transparency and prioritize climate adaptation and nutrition as bases for food security in Nigeria.
While also appealing to the Honorable Minister to give priority to awareness creation on nutrition transition, which it said can curb the plethora of health and wellbeing challenges that continue to plague Nigeria, the group added that inclusivity will strengthen transparency and accountability in the management of public programs designed to ameliorate the challenges of food security as well as enhance the overall growth of the agricultural sector.
The group, therefore, called for the use of smart technology to assist in managing the numerous negative impacts of climate change on agricultural output, stressing the need to improve the dissemination of nutrition education, particularly in rural areas.
‘’ We want to add that women’s networks will prove invaluable partners in this educational process because mothers are at the forefront of nutritional management in many Nigerian households, as children suffer the most from malnutrition and undernutrition. ‘’ It said
The group then expressed confidence that the Honorable Minister’s vision for improved food security in Nigeria will bring a renewed and reinvigorated focus on providing sustainable solutions to challenges of food security concerning the impacts of climate change and impacts on nutrition in Nigeria.
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