Source: BluePrint

The Phenomenon of land grabbing in developing countries like Nigeria has led to worsening livelihood choices for smallholder farmers who depended on communal lands for subsistence; ADEOLA TUKURU writes: Land grabbing has become a challenge to land acquisition in Nigeria. And mostly affected are women farmers who form a majority of small holder farmers.

The procedural concerns are in relation to representation prior to and during negotiations for land acquisitions.

Meanwhile the clearing of large contiguous tracts of lands have had devastating impacts on the livelihoods of women and men.

Blueprint observes that there are poor participation of women in all stages and processes of the land acquisitions for the project, and that the land acquirer had failed to fully implement the procedural concerns of equity, efficiency, participation and sustainability in the acquisitions of lands for the project.

All these was discussed at the just concluded stakeholders consultative meeting on women’s Land Act organised by Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) which seeks to promote the respect, protection and fulfillment of the land rights of women.

Promoting women’s land rights

SWOFON President, Mary Afan further explained that the meeting advocates for the review of the Land Use Act using the VGGT (Voluntary Guidelines and a fair land reform on the Responsible Governance of Tenure which Nigeria’s Cooperation Framework are committed to.

She also recommended that large-scale land deals should be conditioned on proper disposal and utilization of lands within specific time frames, or it will be reverted to its original use.

She lamented that women are deprived the right to buy land, “the female children are deprive of land buying in their fathers land adding that any policy that affects us should be part of the planning.”

Legislative backup

The Chairman Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance (Osun West) Aderele Adeyemi Oriolowo said women need a legislative backup on land use act.

According to him, a committee has been set up in review and an amendment that will enable the women do the needful by sensitization.

He also proposed the sensitization should go to schools and be in school curriculum “To make them aware of women in Agriculture and given the rights to Land “

“70 percent of our women are engaged in one farming or another and about 80 percent of women are farmers. We need sensitization to ensure that their voices are heard.

“Women are the key factors in the growth of the economic with our advocacy we can lay emphasis on Agriculture,” he said.

A participant at the meeting from the Ministry of Works and Housing who pleaded anonymity said the Land use act in Nigeria did not make provision for women to have easy access to land.

According to her, all hope is not lost because there is a document draft on National Land policy which has reached a validation stage.

She explained that stakeholders will see how they can be incorporated in a whole chapter on women land right and the vulnerable where SWOFON will be incorporated to enrich the documents.

Accommodating women

In a paper presentation, ActionAid Food and Agricultural Program Officer, Azubike Nwokoye said the federal government signed a law outside Nigeria where they promised to support women to have a better access to land.

He said challenges that women face in use of land are cultural barriers, customary laws on inheritance, poverty, lack of information, no written contracts, and corrupt practices by some traditional rulers.

Others are failure by government to allocate land to women who apply for land and who are also qualified for land allocation.

Small-scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) is a coalition of Women Farmers Associations and Groups across Nigeria.

This network was started with the support of ActionAid Nigeria in August of 2012 and exists with the goal of advocating for and supporting women farmers especially those in rural areas to spur rural village economic development.

Also are the increase food production through capacity building of smallholder women farmers to demand for their rights and privileges from the duty bearers while serving as vocal and visible pressure group on behalf of smallholder women farmers in Nigeria

This meeting seeks to promote the respect, protection and fulfillment of the land rights of women while advocating for the review of the Land Use Act using the VGGT (Voluntary Guidelines and a fair land reform on the Responsible Governance of Tenure) which Nigeria’s Cooperation Framework committed to.

• Nigeria