RAINS advances women’s rights to land on International Women's Day

The Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS) has held a durbar to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration with a call on all to support women’s advanced access to land.

The durbar held at Langa, a community in the Savelugu Municipality of the Northern Region, was attended by women, chiefs and traditional authorities, who engaged one another on women’s user rights and access to land.

It formed part of the SEWOH project being implemented by RAINS in partnership with African Biodiversity Network (ABN) and supported by the Bread for the World (BftW).

Mr Mohammed Kamel Damma, Project Officer of RAINS, said this year’s IWD, themed “Balance For Better”, was opportune, hence the durbar to highlight and promote smallholder women farmers’ user rights to land.

He expressed the hope that this would help address gender inequality against women and strengthen their participation in smallholder farming, biodiversity conservation and indigenous seed preservation.

Women constitute the majority in smallholder farming in the country yet several socio-cultural factors have subverted and continue to marginalize them especially on access to land.

For decades, women have had challenges with regard to access and control over land in their own setting or environment.

Naa Abdulai Salifu, chief of Langa, promised to work with his elders to support women to access and use land for agricultural purposes.

He expressed his determination to addressing issues of biodiversity and climate change with full participation of women in decisions of critical resources such as land.

He said women have rich knowledge and experience in natural resources management, hence the decision to involve them in communal ecosystem management.

The IWD is marked on March 8 annually to celebrate the contribution of women to the development of the world.