Stakeholder engagement workshop hosted on 13 April 2023
at the Bayelsa State Secretariat.
The principal goal of this research is to explore how the traditional role of subsistence farming given to the Ijaw ethnic women can be utilised as an opportunity to create better land rights for women and improve their farm outputs and, thus, household food security. The research project focussed on the Ijaw ethnic group in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It reached 16 communities across seven of the eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Bayelsa Sta. The project leveraged the postgraduate fieldwork programme in my institution to organise a stakeholder meeting as part of the research communication and public feedback.
The Commissioner, Directors and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment with some postgraduate students and lecturers of Niger Delta University.
The research team met with the Commissioner of the Ministry of Environment and his directors, Directors and Extension agents of the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to draw attention to the plight of those vulnerable to flood disasters – especially women farmers. In the exchange, officials assured us that the government and ministries are committed to mitigating river floods through shoreline protection, construction of dykes and opening of blocked canals.
The Ministry of Agriculture informed us of government intervention in rural agriculture by providing cassava cuttings and training programmes to improve farmers' knowledge - rural women are the majority beneficiaries of the training programmes. None of the women who participated in the research have benefitted from these programmes despite the dire need for these interventions. Partnerships between the government and NGOs aim to sensitise the farmers through radio jingles.
Ministry of Agriculture staff with postgraduate students and lecturers of Niger Delta University.
Like all government departments, constraints have hindered the extent of the roll-out. With only 30 extension agents in the state, it is impossible for these initiatives to have a noticeable impact because of the limited area assigned for these programmes and the lack of knowledge of these interventions. To prevent recipients from selling seedlings and fertilisers, we suggested that town hall meetings be utilised for product distribution instead of requiring farmers to travel to the city. We also discussed the urgent need for an integrated communication network.
Reported by Tonye Odubo as part of her stakeholder engagement activities.
