The importance of women in agriculture cannot be over-emphasized. This article was written by an expert in the field of agriculture Who sees beyond the ordinary to project into the future.
In this article, The Chairman of Drumdashme Field Services, Mr. Ayanbunmi Sunday gives the importance of women to revolutionize agriculture to boost world economy with Nigeria and Osun State as a reference point.
INTRODUCTION – Importance of Women to Revolutionize Agriculture for Economic Transformation
 In many regions across the globe, farmers have recognized the need and desire to diversify their farm product and supplement their agricultural incomes.
With an agricultural economy that has remained stagnant for the last 10 years in the commonwealth countries, Nigerian farmers have tremendous opportunity to diversify their list of products and services offering with agricultural tourism.
Agricultural tourism increases the potentials for higher margin, on-farm sales of value-adding products and services, further diversifying the product line of farm operation.
Moreover, people have become more interested in how their food is produced. They want to meet farmers and processors and talk with them about what goes into food production.
For many people who visit farms, especially children, the visits mark the first time they see the source of their food, be it a dairy cow, an ear of corn growing in a field, or an orange they can pick right off a tree.
Farmers use this interest to develop traffic at their farm; in the quality of their products, as well as awareness of their products.
And every day there are more people were born; more mouth to feed; more body to clothe; with fewer than 40,000 farmers each in a state to feed over 150 million people and fewer young people pursuing farming as a profession.
In Nigeria, the average age of farmer is 55 years old. If our country is to become a world leader in agricultural production, we need more young people to become farmers.
Thus, farm market and agricultural tourism are in a unique time of evolution – a time of potential innovation and challenge.
AGRI-TOURISM
 Agri-tourism is a form of niche tourism that is considered a growth industry in many parts of the world, including Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Agri-tourism overlaps with geo-tourism, eco-tourism, wine tourism and culinary tourism. Other terms associated with agri-tourism are “agri-tainment”, “value added products”, “farm direct marketing”, and “sustainable agriculture”.
The concept of agri-tourism encourages visitors to experience agricultural life at first hand.
Agri-tourism is gathering strong support from small communities as rural people have realized the benefits of sustainable development brought about by similar forms of nature travel.
Visitors can work in the fields alongside real farmers and wade knee-deep in the sea with fishermen hauling in their nets.
Agri-toursim is a commercial enterprise at any agricultural location, including horticultural and agribusinesses operations, conducted for the enjoyment of visitors that generates supplemental tourism income for the owner.
Agri-tourism activities and attractions can take many forms. We have chosen to group these activities into following categories:
- Direct sales, Pageant, Award
- Educational experience
- Outdoor recreation
- Entertainment
- Accommodations
- Miscellaneous
Agri-tourism can take many forms; roadside stands and farmers’ markets offer farm-fresh produce and interaction with growers.
Farms may open to the public for wildlife watching and hunting. Agri-tourism, on farm bed-and-breakfasts, and dude ranches give tourists the fresh air, open space, and relaxation of country life.
Agricultural tourism operations provide a bridge between urban and rural dwellers.
Agri-tourism is one alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities.
Some forms of agri-tourism enterprises will be developed in Nigeria, including fairs, festivals, award, seminar etc. Other possibilities still offer potential development.
GOALS OF AGRI-TOURISM IN NIGERIA
- Assess the existing agri-tourism attraction in Nigeria.
- Provide new and expanded tourism-based economic opportunities for farmers, agri-preneurs, and rural communities, including job creation, new markets, networks, and product development.
- Market the Nigeria Agri-Tourism Trail statewide, nationally, and internationally as a new and unique visitor experience.
- To make farming attractive to young people in Nigeria.
- Provide platform for rewarding young and upcoming agri-preneurs.
- Develops leadership training and experience.
- Creates awareness of the problems that face today’s young farmers and focuses on solution to overcome these problems.
- Provide education and support through workshops, seminars, and publications.
- To organize world class agri-tourism beauty pageant.
- To develop a comprehensive inventory that is updated periodically.
- Promote better understanding of agribusiness and current farm programs.
MISS NIGERIA AGRI-TOURISM BEAUTY PAGEANT
There is great apathy towards investing in the agricultural sector of the economy. Preference is rather given to trade than real sector.
This is because of the get rich quick attitude of the people at the expense of enduring and sustainable economic ventures like agri-industrial processing (value addition).
Miss Agri-tourism will be a role model for young people. Unlike other beauty queens, Miss Nigeria Agriculture dedicates her whole year to educating people and raising awareness of agriculture issues and all contestants will win a prize.
By raising agricultural issues in forums as wide apart as the UN to schools and rural youth camps, she will be helping to influence public opinion and policy as much, if not more, than a rural woman in a participatory process.
The winner will dedicate their year to promote specific projects and often address issues concerning agriculture and other global issues.
The sustainable production of food is the first pillar of food security. Millions of women work as farmers, farm workers and natural resources managers.
In doing so, they contribute to national agricultural output, maintenance of the environment and family food security.
In Nigeria, the involvement of women in agriculture has attracted greater attention in recent years. The need to develop a suitable extension service that is gender specific and tailored to women farmers cannot be overemphasized.
This is in recognition that women play very significant roles in Nigeria agricultural production, processing, and utilization. But women are constrained under the unified extension system by socio-cultural barriers.
And by the current approach that rely almost exclusively on a network of contact farmers that are over 95% male farmers; little research on products – fruits, vegetables, small livestock which are mainly the responsibility of women farmers.
One of the factors is that a woman’s efficiency and productivity on her plot is lack of access to credit. Credit is important for securing fertilizers, improved varieties of seeds and other technology on farms.
Most women farmers are not able to obtain credit without a male guarantor or without husband’s assistance.
The disparity between who farms and who receives inputs, credit etc. is due to institutional barriers and social constraints. The perception that women produce crops for subsistence and not for the market, women’s less secure land tenure and provision of credit through organizations geared towards men affect provision of credit to women farmers.
Social customs dictate, moreover, that women, especially rural women, should in addition to agricultural activities be responsible for cooking, carrying water and fetching firewood. This has limited their participation in decision-making processes and their exposure to those economic opportunities that arise, thus increasing the level of inequality vis-Ã -vis their partners.
www.sojworld.com © September 6, 2018″
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