NGO Trains 100 Women on Climate Change Impact

The International Center for Environmental Health and Development (ICEHD) in partnership with Rose of Sharon Foundation (ROSF) has organized training for no fewer than 100 women from Lagos and Akwa Ibom states under the second phase (Year II) of the Climate Justice and Economic Resilience Project (CJERP) for rural women farmers.
The training which took place recently at Majesty Realm Hotel, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, in Akwa Ibom state had in attendance 50 women farmers from the south-east and south-south geopolitical zones who were trained on the impact of climate change, modern farming methods, climate-smart agriculture, adaptability strategies, gender equality in agriculture, gender policies in Agriculture, and remedial measures for economic resilience.
The women were also trained on improvement of soil quality and to produce organic fertilizer through microbial fermentation ldepolarization.
ICEHD is a non-profit organization focused on promoting environmental health, women’s rights, economic resilience, climate and gender justice, advancing socio-economic inclusion and development, and empowering local marginalized women and girls, while  ROSF is non-profit organization working to ease the plight of widows and orphans,
The CJERP was a two-year project that commenced in 2022, focusing on climate justice advocacy and capacity building for rural women farmers in Nigeria, to train them on climate-smart agriculture, to enable them to adapt to the challenges of climate change, access resources equally with men, improve their farming engagements and become economically resilient.
The first year of the project focused on northern Nigeria, with Abuja as the focal point, where the organizers in collaboration with the Federal Ministries of Women Affairs, Agriculture and Environment trained 100 women farmers from Abuja and other states in northern Nigeria.

The project which was supported by African Women Development Fund AWDF had Mrs. Aniefiok Essien, a gender specialist officer, Dr. Solomon Joseph, a Director in the Ministry of Agriculture, and Professor P.S. William from the Agricultural Education Department, University of Uyo as facilitators.

Speaking at the training, a representative of ICEHD Jennifer Davies, stated that the project  has facilitated women’s access to fellow farmers to build movements, engage stakeholders, community leaders, farmers cooperatives, ministries of women’s affairs, Agriculture, and the environments, in other to collectively demand change.
A gender specialist from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Essien Aniefiok Uduak explained that gender policies on Agriculture has benefits for women farmers with regards to gender equality, an essential component of sustainable economic growth and poverty eradication or reduction. 
Uduak observed, “Equitable access to resources in rural areas enables rural women to become compelling economic actors and engines of change and to produce or acquire the food, water, and social services their families need”.
According to her, “Women must be allowed ownership of resources, access to credit facilities and land rights, and obtain agricultural financing, like managing oil palm plantations”
The women farmers received capacity strengthening tools such as fertilizers and others to improve yield and boost food production.