Women need separate farmer awards - Peasant Farmers

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana is proposing the creation of a separate national farmer awards ceremony for women.

The group says the current award system where both men and women are lumped together discriminates against women, and also undermines their role in the agricultural sector.

Programmes Officer of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Charles Nyaaba told STARR NEWS’ Papisdaf Abdullah in an interview that: “If you look at the history of the national best farmers [awards], we have only one woman on one occasion, and then if you look at the percentage of the farmer population, it’s 60-40. About 60 percent of women being in that sector and then 40 percent being men.”

“We don’t just box men and women together because there are things men can do and women cannot do; and there are things women can do and men cannot do,” he explained.

“You can’t…continue to give men [awards] and leave women, who [form the] majority of the sector,” out of the awards.

“…So we should incorporate the concerns of women, even though women are getting awards, it is not enough. We should have a national best woman farmer, so that if we are doing national best farmer for men who are given a three bedroom house, we should do so for women [too],” Nyaaba said.

The national best farmer award is held in the first week of December every year. It is used to recognise the contribution of farmers to the country’s economy. This year’s edition, the 30th ceremony, will be held at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region.