…says women responsible for about 80% of Agricultural Labour in Nigeria
As part of efforts to ensure fostering of eco-tourism development across the Six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the Senator representing the FCT, Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe has disclosed that plans are underway to power over 62,000 Eco-Marshall jobs, incentivize 620,000 eco-volunteers, award 6,000 green innovation startup grants.
While speaking to our Correspondent on the occasion of the 2023 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, she lamented that less than two percent of the women, compared to Seventy percent of men own the land by themselves.
According to her “the Hope2Green Project will power over 62,000 Eco-Marshall jobs, incentivize 620,000 eco-volunteers, award 6,000 green innovation startup grants.
“The deployment of rural energy efficiency solutions through sustainability investment partnerships that enable Climate Justice, ensure Climate Finance and Ecosystem Conservation, as well as the fostering of eco-tourism development, across all 6 LGAs in the FCT.
While lamenting that women are responsible for about eighty percent of all agricultural labour in Nigeria, Senator Kingibe raised the alarm that there is a huge gender gap in global land ownership especially in Nigeria.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Her Land. Her Rights: Advancing Gender Equality and Land Restoration Goals’, Senator Kingibe said “the gender gap in land rights refers to the unequal access, ownership and control of land between men and women. It is a systematic issue rooted in social norms, discriminatory laws as well as cultural practices that limit women’s rights to own, inherit or use land.”
Accordingly, she said “in Nigeria specifically, current estimates indicate that less than 2% of women, compared to 17% of men, own land by themselves. Although women are responsible for 70 to 80% of all agricultural labor in Nigeria, and according to federal and state law, women have the right to hold and inherit land, only 10% of the total number of land owners in Nigeria are women.”
She added that, such perpetuate gender inequalities and are hindering women’s economic empowerment.
She further observed that beyond significant historical contributions to land labour, women have played a crucial role but often overlooked in land restoration throughout history and deep connection to the environment.
While calling on leaders at all levels to address the gender based disparities in land ownership, she maintained that women have employed sustainable practices, nurtured biodiversity and safeguarded natural resources thereby contributing to the long term well being of ecosystems.
