World Rural Women’s Day highlights women’s roles
“Women producers in Ghana are the same as men producers, and the yield of sectors of production in cereals has most women.”
— Soraja Rodriguez Ramos, Spanish Secretary of State for International Development
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The significant role of women in the agricultural sector in Ghana was acknowledged during the 3rd European Forum on Rural Development held in Palencia, Spain on March 29, 2011.
In her presentation during the opening session as the chairperson, the Spanish Secretary of State for International Development, Soraja Rodriguez Ramos, who stressed the significance of women in ensuring the global vision of food security, reportedly stated that: “Women producers in Ghana are the same as men producers, and the yield of sectors of production in cereals has most women.”
Lives of women
Recognising the significant role of rural women in the nation’s development, speakers at a durbar to mark the World Rural Women’s Day at Mumford in the Central Region have called on the government to implement sustainable measures to protect the lives of women in the agricultural sector and the fisheries industry.
They noted that the majority of rural women who were engaged in fishing were in danger of losing their incomes through threats posed by illegal fishing, while those in agriculture were threatened with the loss of productive farmlands, hence the need for drastic measures to immediately halt the menace.
Speaker after speaker underscored the worrying effects of the use of Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing methods and illegal mining, which were making women, who constituted a larger per cent of workers involved directly or indirectly in these sectors, poorer.
They observed that illegal fishing practices were having serious effects on fish stocks, making fishing communities poorer and threatening the food security of the nation in general.
Change agents
The programme was organised by the Sustainable Fisheries Management Programme (SFMP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Coastal Resources Centre and the Development Action Association (DAA) on the theme, "Sea and Land Galamsey: Impacts on Food Security."
The day was to commemorate the important roles women played in society and to highlight the power they possessed in changing the lives of generations.
Several women’s groups and organisations attended the durbar.
Rural women farmers, for instance, constitute 41 per cent of women living in rural areas and they produce 70 per cent of the nation's food crops.
The speakers called on the government to declare a moratorium on "galamsey on the sea" followed by strong government actions to support food security and livelihoods, particularly of rural women.
Illegal activities
The Chief of Party of the SFMP, Mr Maurice Knight, said while it was important to stress the need for efficient fish processing practices, as well as improve sanitation and hygiene in fishing communities among others, it was essential for the government to work to fight the illegal activites on the sea to better the lives of the people whose lives depended on it.
Mr Knight noted that over 4,000 people, including about 3,000 women, had benefited from various programmes under the SFMP, which is a five-year food security project that seeks to rebuild targeted marine fish stocks (which are depleted but important to the local economy), through the adoption of sustainable fishing practices and exploitation levels.
He, therefore, called on the government and other stakeholders to work to protect the sea and land resources for future generations.
Illegal mining
The District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, Mr Bismark Baisie Nkum, said the destruction of farmlands by illegal miners was seriously degrading the nation’s arable lands, rendering them infertile.
He said the chemicals used in these activities did not only pollute water bodies but also affected soil fertility, and that, he said, was sure to lead to food shortages and price hikes.
Miss Esther Akumanyi of Women in Agricultural Development said the role of women in the food production chain could not be overemphasised, and called for training in post-harvest handling to reduce post-harvest losses.
An officer with the Fisheries Commission Department, Mr Kwabena Baiden, warned that anyone caught using IUU methods of fishing would not be spared, and urged participants to join efforts to restore the sea’s resources.
The participants also observed with worry the effects of illegal mining on farmlands and their effects on farmers, particularly women farmers.
They said it was important to save the sea from the effects of IUU and save the livelihoods of the people, especially women.