KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY SIERRA LEONE’S HONORABLE DEPUTY

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FOOD SECURITY,

HONORABLE MADAM MARIE JALLOH, AT THE CORAF/WECARD

SIDE EVENT, SIXTH AFRICA AGRICULTURE SCIENCE WEEK, JULY

16, 2013

Honorable Chairperson/Moderator; My Honorable Minister of Agriculture

from Sierra Leone, Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay; The Executive Director of

CORAF/WECARD, Dr. Harold Roy-Macauley, and all staff of

CORAF/WECARD; Representative from the World Bank; Director

Generals of all National Agricultural Research Systems here present, and

their respective staff; Coordinators of WAAPP Project Coordination Units

and their staff, Gender Focal Points from all countries, Environmental Focal

Points:

It gives me the greatest pleasure to participate in this very important side

event, and to deliver this keynote address. When I was contacted by

CORAF/WECARD to assume this distinguished role, I saw it as a great

opportunity to share my thoughts on the subject not only from the

perspective of a woman, but also from the perspective of one who has seen

the hardworking women of Sierra Leone and Africa toil to establish their

rightful place in the agricultural sector and the development agendas of

their respective countries. It is refreshing to realize that institutions such as

CORAF/WECARD are championing the course of putting WOMEN at the

heart of agricultural development in Africa. There is no gainsaying the fact

that women can no longer be relegated to the back, in our effort to develop

the agricultural sector, given the crucial role women play in all farm-

related activities from land preparation to marketing. CORAF/WECARD

VISION is to contribute to sustainable reduction in food insecurity and

poverty in west and central Africa further improving research systems in

the sub-region. Its general objective is to improve the efficiency and

effectiveness of small-scale producers and promote agri-business sector

and therefore puts the producers and the end users at the center of

research. Women globally makeup over 60% of producers in the agric.

Sector, which is their main thrust of livelihood and income support.

Therefore the role of women producers in the implementation of the West

African Agricultural Productivity Programme cannot be underestimated.

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) is designed

mainly to promote regional cooperation in the generation, dissemination

and adoption of agricultural technologies, for which at least 40% of the

beneficiaries are expected to be women. However, beyond being

beneficiaries, women producers are also critical actors in driving the

overall implementation of the WAAPP program. I wish to push this

discourse forward by looking at the potential roles of women producers

within the different components of WAAPP.

Within the first component of WAAPP, which focuses on sub-regional

cooperation in the generation and adoption of technologies, women can be

very instrumental in shaping opinions of policy makers and legislators in

designing policies and regulations that would make it easier for the sharing

of technologies across countries. Furthermore more women producers can

adopt and improve their technologies through capacity building and

adaptations. In such situations, women producers in the sub-region can

benefit both men and women farmers through exchange visits within

countries in the sub-region to share success stories and adapt new or

improved technologies.

In addition, women producers can also be very useful in the design and

implementation gender action plans, Information Communication and

Technology and they will also take advantage of the benefits derived from

farmer-farmer peer mentoring and other engagements.

However, for women producers to be highly effective in the

Implementation of WAAPP, serious considerations of the special needs of

women producers and processors can serve as important inputs to

researchers and scientists in this 21st century which features the Women’s

Agenda Gaining Momentumworldwide and African region to be specific.

More gender friendly technologies that will enable women to play active

roles in the implementation of the national centers of specialization that

will eventually be transformed to Centers of excellence of which the female

gender have the potential for adoption and expansion.

Moreover, women as producers, has a major role to play in creating

synergies amongst countries in the sub-regions through transfer and

adoption of technologies and further will also a have a tendency to increase

their space in research activities.

To be confirmed

Also in achieving the MDG goal nos 1, Reduce hunger and eradication of

poverty. Three (3) achieving gender equality and the empowerment of

women and girls, MDG Seven and eight places women producers at the

center (being the critical mass) can be players and actors in WAAPP

implementation in the West African countries.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, it should be noted that, however,

that for meaningful results, the needs of women farmers should be

determined not from the comfort of research institutions/centers, but by

sustained engagements with women producers throughout the various

stages of the research process and also make provisions to placed them in

hierarchy of the decision-making levels in the different

WAAPPprogrammes implemented in the sub-region. In this way, women

producers would fully appreciate their role not simply as beneficiaries of

research and extension activities, but as active players and participants in

the process, thereby increasing the chances for technology adoption.

In conclusion Mr. Chairperson, inorder to achieve success in major

WAAPP objectives, it therefore calls for the need for an agricultural

research and extension agenda which effectively integrates gender issues

into the processes of technology generation and dissemination. It also

furthermore calls for the need to develop gender strategies to make women

more active participants and decision-makers at all levels in agric.

Production and socio-economic development process.

I end by leaving you with a food for thought“ If you want a job to done

give it to men, but if want one thousand jobs to be done give it to women,

they will produce better results.”

Ladies and Gentlemen here present, I thank you for your attention.