By ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA
To achieve diversification of the Nation’s economic using agriculture, Researchers have advocated that smallholders’ women farmer activities be supported by the Government through increased budgetary provision, as they produce over 70% of the food consumed by the State Population.
This was stated in a Communique raised at the end of a 1-Day Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Delta State 2022 Agriculture Budget organized by Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC), Budget Committee Group (BCG), ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Smallholder Women Farmers Network (SHOWFAN) and Small-scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), on Wednesday, 15th September, 2021, in Asaba.
According to the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting held at Orchid Hotels Asaba, to capture the real needs of farmers in the State, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Smallholder Women farmers and other key stakeholders should be actively involved in the budgetary process through organising a consultative forum by the Ministry of Agriculture before Call for Budget Circulars to get smallholder women farmers organizations and CSOs inputs into the agriculture budget.
The organizers disclosed that the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Delta State 2022 Agriculture Budget was aimed at facilitating conversations amongst key stakeholders with regards to budget and budgetary processes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Asaba, Delta State as well as strengthening citizens’ participation towards making the budget responsive for food security and wealth creation.
Participants at the meeting includes the Hon. Commissioner for Humanitarian Services, Barr. Bridget Anyafule, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civic Engagement and Civil Society, Activist Rex Anighoro, representatives from House Committee on Agriculture – Delta State House of Assembly, Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, Job and Wealth Creation Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (DARDA), Delta State Budget Committee Group, Civic Society Organizations, Smallholder Women Farmers Network (SHOWFAN), Small-Scale Women Farmers Organizationin Nigeria (SWOFON), Media, ENVIRUMEDIC and ActionAid Nigeria.
In the Communique, the meeting commended ENVIRUMEDIC / ActionAid Nigeria and BCG for the good work done so far concerning budget and budgetary processes as it relates to Agriculture.
Also in the Communique, were observations that budgetary allocation to Agriculture has been on an unimpressive descending and ascending order of 0.87, 0.90 and 1.06 for 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively while, in 2020, it fell to 0.89% and rose in finitesimally to 0.92% and that allocation to agriculture has never met the Malabo declaration of 10% of total budgetary allocations from the year 2017 – 2021.
See Communique below:
THE COMMUNIQUE
Preamble
Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC), Budget Committee Group (BCG), ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Smallholder Women Farmers Network (SHOWFAN) and Small-scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) organised a 1-day Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Delta State 2022 Agriculture Budget at Orchid Hotels, Asaba, Delta State, 15 September, 2021.
The Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Delta State 2022 Agriculture Budget is aimed at:
Facilitating conversations amongst key stakeholders with regards to budget and budgetary processes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Asaba, Delta State.
Strengthening citizens’ participation towards making Delta State 2022 Agriculture budget responsive for food security and wealth creation.
A total number of 33 physical participants (18 females and 15 males) attended theConsultative meeting.
The participants included Hon. Commissioner for Humanitarian Services, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civic Engagement and Civil Society, representatives from House Committee on Agricultural – Delta State House of Assembly, Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, Job and Wealth Creation Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (DARDA), Delta State Budget Committee Group, Civic Society Organizations, Smallholder Women Farmers Network (SHOWFAN), Small-Scale Women Farmers Organizationin Nigeria (SWOFON), Media, ENVIRUMEDIC and ActionAid Nigeria.
COMMENDATIONS
Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Agriculture remain committed to collaborating with Non-State Actors, which should be sustained for more inclusive, and responsive agriculture policy and budget making processes in Delta State.
We commend ENVIRUMEDIC/ActionAid Nigeria and BCG for the good workdone so far in the issue of budget and budgetary processes as it relates to Agriculture.
It is worthy of note that the state is interested in research and development as well as data gathering of farmers in the state as shown by the allocation from 2019 till 2021.
It is commendable to note that N200 million was allocated to Delta Agricultureand Rural Development Authority (DARDA) in 2018 and 2019 but theallocation nosedived to N80 million in 2020 and rose to N100 million in 2021.However, it’s still a far cry from 2018 allocation.
KEY OBSERVATIONS
During the consultative meeting, participants made the following observations as core issues to be addressed in the 2022 Agriculture budget,
1. Budgetary allocation to Agriculture has been on an unimpressive descending and ascending order of 0.87, 0.90 and 1.06 for 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively while, in 2020, it fell to 0.89% and rose in finitesimally to 0.92%
2. Allocation to agriculture has never met the Malabo declaration of 10% of total budgetary allocations from the year 2017 – 2021.
3. Youth Agriculture Enterprise Program (YAGEP) did not fall into any budget line item under Job Creation to ascertain how much was committed to it in the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 budgets respectively.
4. There was no women specific agricultural intervention in the budget line item to boost as well as complement women farmers activities in the State.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Government should increase the allocation to agriculture in a bid to comply with the Malabo Declaration of 10% total budgetary allocation to Agriculture annually and to ensure food security.
2. Government should ensure timely and total releases of approved funds to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources as Agricultural activities are time bound.
3. The budgetary system should be made transparent for ease of monitoring and tracking
4. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Smallholder Women farmers and other key stakeholders should be actively involved in the budgetary process through organising a consultative forum by the Ministry of Agriculture before Call for Budget Circulars to get smallholder women farmers organizations and CSOs inputs into the agriculture budget. This is to capture the real needs of farmersin the State.
5. Agricultural line items domiciled in Job Creation Office should be spelt out forease of Monitoring and Tracking.
6. To achieve diversification using agriculture, smallholders’ women farmer activities should be supported by the State Government through increased budgetary provision, as they produce over 70% of the food consumed by the State Population.
7. The government should create a specific budget line for smallholder women farmers to ensure they are properly supported through the budget
8. Allocations to Extension Services, Labour Saving Technologies, Inputs, Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA), Youth in Agriculture are paltry and should be increased to support food security in the state.
9. Extension services and Women in Agriculture should be a sub-heading under the Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (DARDA) budget.
10. Domestication of the National Gender Policy on Agriculture by the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. NEXT STEPS
ENVIRUMEDIC/BCG should ensure that this work is presented at a high-level meeting for key stakeholders.
Endorsed By List of Organizations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and Institutes that participated in the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Delta State 2022 Agriculture Budget.
1. Hon. Commissioner for Humanitarian Services
2. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civic Engagement and Civil Society
3. House Committee on Agricultural – Delta State House of Assembly
4. Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, Job and Wealth Creation Bureau,
5. Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Asaba
6. Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (DARDA)
7. Delta State Budget Committee Group, Civic Society Organizations
8. Smallholder Women Farmers Network (SHOWFAN)
9. Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON),
10.Media
11.Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC)
12. ActionAid Nigeria.