A professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Prof. Esther Omolabake Okunade has appealed to the Government to pump money into agricultural research and mainstream gender.
Prof. Esther Okunade made this known while delivering the 41st Inaugural Lecture of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology titled, ” Synergy: Not Property: Way out to sustainable Agricultural Extension and Rural Development.”
Prof. Okunade explained that government could mainstream gender by building capacity of women farmers with small holdings, encourage their sustainability through subsidized inputs and credits and introduce new communication technologies for innovation.
She advocated for the active participation of men and women in agriculture in order for the nation to experience absolute development in agriculture.
Prof. Okunade posited that development that is not engender would be endangered.
“Equal voices and recognition must be given to each of the genders as major stakeholders in the developmental process and implementation of programmes,” she said.
She emphasized that the African culture syndrome that has made the contribution of women to development especially in areas of agriculture unrecognized, portraying men as the only stakeholder in agriculture would keep the industry undeveloped.
Prof. Okunade recommended that women’s contribution to agricultural practices should be given recognition to encourage better future performance and usage of the stores potential in them to an advantage.
She maintained that synergy is the answer, if female gender is recognized and encouraged to work in concert with the male counterpart, even in agricultural practice.
She charged leaders to rise and come up with agricultural policies that would mainstream gender (equal attention to both sexes involved) in order for all to display their potentials in building the Nigerian economy.
She charged the government to engender Nigerian agriculture and run away from endangering it.
