This has become necessary because women find it difficult to acquire land for agricultural purpose, thereby limiting their ability to contribute to socio-economic development of the country and the needs of their families.
This came to light during a forum in in Tamale organized by Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP), a national consortium of Forest and Farm Producer Organisations (FFPOs).
It was also revealed that access to land by female farmers is compounded by some cultural norms and practices that prevent them from accessing land for crop production.
The forum aims to, among other things, encourage members to build strong and profitable forest and farm-based businesses, contribute to national policy development and to promote climate resilience across the forest, transition and savanna ecological zones of the country.
The forum falls in line with the Forest and Farm Facility Programme implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization with its global partners IIED, Agricord and IUCN. The programme seeks to develop the capacity of women in land tenure arrangement with traditional authorities.
A farmer, Regina Ndebugri, said despite the effort of women in the shear business value chain, market access remains a problem due to bad road network in farming communities.
She also expressed worry at the rate at which economic trees are being cut down for fire wood and other purposes.
Another farmer Ramatu Yakubu appealed to authorities to, as a matter of urgency, involve women in decision making process, especially with regards to issues affecting them.
Hajia Alima Sagito Saeed, Chief Executive Officer of Savanna Women Integrated Development Agency, for her part, said statistics from the agric sector indicate that women involvement in the agriculture was gaining more grounds.
“Women mostly invest in land for the crop production but do not have control over it because most heads of the family abrogate the contract at any time of their choice, thereby affecting their farming activities,” she said.
