The wife of Governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.)
Ebelechukwu Obiano has charged women to embrace small scale agriculture as a
business and a means of sustenance.
The governors' wife, stated this in a presentation on
''Agriculture as a small scale Business ", at the 5Th Southern Governors
Wives Forum (SGWF), held from May 10-12, 2017 at Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Mrs Obiano described agriculture as a good venture for
sustainable economic development which has become increasingly popular amongst
Nigerians and can be undertaken by women not only to put food on the table but
also to improve their financial status.
Said she;
"Going into agriculture as a small scale venture means
you are doing it in a small way. You can start a garden from the small portion
of land at your back yard which can yield different types of vegetables. Remove
a section of the interlocked compound and grow tomatoes; start fish farming or
even snail rearing and earn some income."
Mrs. Obiano who is the founder the NGO, Caring Family
Enhancement Initiative (CAFE) noted that the cumulative positive impact of
earnings from small agricultural activities on the health and fortunes of the
family and the nation, and called steadfast collective approach by women in
small scale agriculture through cooperatives to encourage growth of the sector.
She explained that one of the thrusts of CAFE programmes is
in encouraging more women involvement in agriculture since according to her
“the days are gone when women depend solely on their husbands for survival. It
is important that women take advantage of the opportunity in agriculture or
acquire other skills like bakery and confectionaries amongst others that will
equip them to be self-reliant.”
Other governors’ wives also made presentations at
the Interactive Session during the Forum which was attended by
fourteen out of the seventeen First Ladies from states in southern Nigeria. The
regular meetings of the group is geared towards promoting the course of
women and as proferring advice in support of their husbands' in states.
By Emeka Ozumba
