NewsFoundation Trains 300 Indigent Women On Food Production In Anambra

By Goldie Njideka, Contributing Reporter

The Light Givers Humanitarian Foundation, a non-governmental organization has empowered over 300 women in the Ihiala local council area of Anambra state on agriculture and agro-ventures.

The three-month-long training programme, according to the NGO’s chairman, Chief Stanley Chukwudi Obodoagwu, was designed to empower participants drawn from communities across the local government to enable them to put food on their tables as well as work towards sustainable food production in the areas

Speaking during the kick-off of the programma at St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Ihiala, Obodoagwu said the “selected women from the four zones of Ihiala LGA will be trained on how to cultivate and process cassava, palm oil, plantain, maize, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, carrots, onions, and others.

“Besides the knowledge imparted on the women, this NGO will equally empower them with agricultural inputs and seed money to kick start their own farming. This NGO will also build a processing hub to enable the women to process their produce easily, and add value to what they have produced,” he adds.

According to him, the organization was ready to give maximum attention in terms of supervision, and inspection during the course of the practical exercise to ensure high level of agricultural productivity. “If the participants will put in their best, and grab the skills they were taught in the cause of the program, it would go a long way to put food on their tables, help in food security, and increase their economic value”, he stressed.

Anambra state commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Nnamdi Onukwuba, represented by the Head, Women in Agriculture, State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Patricia Uba, commended the NGO for the initiative. Onukwuba said that women’s empowerment has been the heartbeat of the present government, both at the federal and state levels.

The Transition Committee Chairman of Ihiala local government, Sir Jude Obi, represented by the First Lady of the council, Lady Sylvia Obi, also commended the NGO for its interest in empowering Anambra women in modern farming practices. She encouraged the participants to ensure that skills they learn were translated into reality that would put food on the tables of many families.