The wife of Benue state governor, Mrs Eunice Ortom, on Saturday urged more women in the state to engage in farming to enhance their livelihood and the economy of the state.
She said that owning a farm would enable the women to be independent and of great assistance to the families.
Ortom, represented by Mrs Magdalene Dura, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Cooperation, SDGs and NEPAD, made the call at the 2016 Female Food Hero Awards tagged “Ogbonge Woman Awards” in Makurdi.
She said that the award was a wake-up call on women to be “soldiers in the fight against poverty, hunger and disease, through agriculture.”
“Benue is an agrarian state, where crop production and animal husbandry should be a top priority,” she said.
Earlier, Oxfam Head of Programmes, Mr Constant Tchona, said that the event was to encourage women to attain greater heights in farming.
He said that Oxfam in Nigeria focused on humanitarian response and sustainable agricultural livelihoods for small-holder farmers.
“Oxfam transform attitudes about women’s right across the nation and ensure their active engagement with state and private sector,” he explained.
Tchona said that the Female Food Hero initiative was to recognize the contribution of women to food security and family farming, adding that the initiative would raise public awareness on the issues affecting the rural women.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three out of 50 women who were nominated for the award smiled home with cash prizes to support their farms.
Mrs Evelyn Ifebuchi, who came first received N350, 000, Mrs Rebecca Isagba got N300, 000 for her second position, while Mrs Peace Chijioke came third and earned N250, 000.
The award was organized by the Benue State Government in collaboration with National Association of Women in Agriculture and Oxfam, an agriculture and information technology firm. (NAN)
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